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DoJ upholds reinstatement of charges vs. high profile drug personalities

The Department of Justice (DoJ) on Friday, April 27, upheld its decision to reinstate the dismissed drug charges against several high profile drug personalities, according to a resolution released by the agency.
Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra in his four-page resolution justified the agency’s decision to vacate and remand the dismissal of their charges to a new panel of prosecutors saying, “if an order to reopen a preliminary investigation is a valid exercise of the broad powers of the Secretary of Justice to prevent a probable miscarriage of justice, so is an order vacating a resolution and directing the continuation of a preliminary investigation.”
Mr. Lim and his co-accused were charged by the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) with violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Assistant State Prosecutors Michael John H. Humarang and Aristotle M. Reyes dismissed the charges in a resolution dated December 20, last year but former Justice Secretary Vitaliano N. Aguirre II remanded the case to a new panel composed of Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Juan Pedro C. Navera, Assistant State Prosecutor Anna Noreen T. Devanadera, and Prosecution Attorney Herbert Calvin D. Abugan to allow parties to submit additional evidence to support them.
Mr. Lim responded by submitting a motion for reconsideration urging the DoJ to uphold the dismissal, arguing that the reinstatement of the drug charges and the creation of a new investigation was a violation of his rights to due process and to speedy disposition of the case.
The resolution, however, said, “(Mr. Lim) has failed to show any violation of his due process rights, much less his right to a speedy disposition of his case.”
“On the other hand, setting aside the challenged Order will deny complainant its right to adduce all available evidence within its reach and may result in a seriously miscarriage of justice,” it read further.
The CIDG is due to submit their additional evidence to the DoJ on April 30. — Dane M. Enerio

Duterte to hold bilateral meetings with leaders of Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam

President Rodrigo R. Duterte is set to hold bilateral meetings with leaders of Singapore, Indonesia, and Vietnam on the sidelines of the 32nd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Singapore.
Singapore, the chair of the ASEAN for 2018, is hosting the 32nd ASEAN Summit and related meetings at the Shangri-La Hotel from April 25 to 28.
Mr. Duterte arrived in Singapore on Thursday night, April 26, and he was “welcomed by Philippine Ambassador to Singapore Joseph Del Mar Yap and Sam Tan Chin Siong, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office,” the Presidential News Desk (PND) said.
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano told reporters in an interview in Singapore that Mr. Duterte’s meetings “will be with leaders of Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam,” the PND added.
Mr. Cayetano likewise said Mr. Duterte and Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo “will most likely discuss piracy and terrorism” in the ASEAN region.
“It is always high on the agenda of the two Presidents because our cooperation with them is already advancing,” Mr. Cayetano was quoted by the PND as saying. “Of course, when you have peace and order, then you have also commerce so ‘yung trade routes through ‘yung RoRo [Roll-on and Roll-Off vessels] and through the maritime,” he added.
The case of Filipino fishermen who are currently detained in Indonesia might also be tackled during the meeting between Messrs. Duterte and Widodo, according to Mr. Cayetano.
“Since there are no boundaries on the sea that are visible to our fishermen and since they do not have GPS, unlike those of other countries, there are still a lot of Filipinos who are apprehended in Vietnam and Indonesia,” Mr. Cayetano said. “So high in the priority of the President is the release of the fishermen who are still in Indonesia.”
Mr. Cayetano further disclosed that Mr. Duterte was set to “hold a bilateral meeting with Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Friday.”
On Saturday, according to the PND, Mr. Duterte is scheduled to have a bilateral meeting with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and he is also expected to meet with the members of the Filipino workers (OFWs) there before returning to the Philippines.
On its Web site, the office of Singapore’s Prime Minister said: “The 32nd ASEAN Summit is the first gathering of the ASEAN Leaders hosted by Singapore this year.”
“The Leaders will discuss ASEAN’s priorities, as well as the challenges and opportunities that it faces, in line with the focus on strengthening ASEAN’s resilience and innovation this year. The Leaders will also exchange views on regional and international developments,” the Prime Minister’s office also said. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Duterte to visit Benham Rise next week, assert sovereignty

After his trip to Singapore for the 32nd ASEAN Summit, President Rodrigo R. Duterte is set to visit the controversial Benham Rise, a seismically active undersea region in the Philippine sea, to deliver a speech there next week.
“Next week, I’m going to Benham Rise and I will make a statement there that nobody owns this place, including the continental shelf,” Mr. Duterte said in his speech at the 102nd Annual Communication of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the Philippines on Thursday, April 26.
According to the Foreign Service Institute (FSI), the Benham Rise, which is officially called as the Philippine Rise, “is a natural submarine prolongation of the Luzon Island extending up to 318 nautical miles (589 kilometers), from the Eastern Philippine Seaboard facing the Pacific Ocean.”
The FSI explained that under Article 76 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), coastal states have a legal continental shelf of up to 200 nautical miles from the baselines, but the prolongation of the continental margin may extend beyond 200 nautical miles but not exceeding 350 nautical miles from the baselines.
“The Philippine Rise may contain the following seabed resources: (1) cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts located in seamounts on the area, which can contain very expensive minerals; (2) hydrothermal polymetallic sulfides, which contain minerals used in the aerospace industry; and (3) gas hydrates, which are believed to be a larger hydrocarbon resource than the world’s oil, natural gas, and coal resources combined,” the FSI also said.
It was reported last February that the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) had approved the Chinese names registered by Beijing for the five underwater sea features in Benham Rise.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said it “communicated” with China regarding the matter.
“We have communicated to China that we understand that for them, it was purely scientific. But it’s not a good time to have Chinese names in some features because we have a live dispute in the South China Sea,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano said in a press briefing on Feb. 16. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Labor dep't. urges Duterte to certify security of tenure bill as urgent

THE Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) has urged President Rodrigo R. Duterte to certify the pending Security of Tenure bill as urgent, an official said on Friday.
Labor department Undersecretary Jacinto V. Paras said the agency drafted a request ahead of the departure of Sec. Silvestre H. Bello III, who is attending the ASEAN Summit with President Duterte in Singapore.
“Before the Secretary left, (we discussed with him) that we will ask the President to issue a certificate of urgency (on) the…Security of Tenure Bill,” Mr. Paras said in a press briefing on Friday. “The Secretary has brought the letter-request with him.”
If approved, Undersecretary Paras said “it will expedite the process in both houses of Congress.”
Mr. Paras added DOLE is already in talks with the Senate Committee on Labor regarding the Senate bill on Security of Tenure, still pending at the committee level.
“We were able to meet with the Senate Secretariat on the Committee on Labor… We are looking at the possibility of reconciling the House and Senate versions of the bills,” he said. “We will see to it the House version will be eventually adopted by the Senate.” — Charmaine A. Tadalan

More than 140,000 vacancies await job seekers on Labor Day

MORE than 140,000 vacancies will be open for job seekers on May 1, the Philippines’ Labor Day, the government said on Friday.
“We have initially reported close to 80,000 available jobs in the simultaneous job and livelihood fairs across the country, but this number has ballooned to 143,085 vacant positions,” Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) Undersecretary Joel B. Maglunsod in a press briefing on Friday.
Of these jobs, 58,171 are for local employment while 84,914 are for overseas placement.
The increase, Mr. Maglunsod noted, was made possible by the participation of 1,099 employers.
The agency also announced that the Department of Trade and Industry will set up Negosyo Centers and Diskwento Caravans in key TNK (Trabaho, Negosyo, Kabuhayan) sites. This will provide basic goods at discounted prices for workers.
The 116th observance of Labor day will be celebrated in Cebu City where the DOLE will hold simultaneous activities, medical missions, job fairs, and business fairs.
The first day of the celebration will be dedicated to formal workers, while the second day will be for informal workers.
Mr. Maglunsod also confirmed the attendance of President Rodrigo R. Duterte in the event, adding that the agency “remains confident President Duterte will make a very significant announcement for workers on May 1.” — Charmaine A. Tadalan

Grab drivers seek law for ride-hailing services to avoid gov't 'over-regulation'

Drivers of Grab Philippines on Friday sought a law covering ride-hailing companies after they called out the government’s “over-regulation” when it stopped them from charging extra for waiting time during trips.
Owing to the absence of such a law, the government has supposedly failed to consider the business model of transport network companies (TNC) and transport network vehicle services (TNVS), the head of an organization composed of 38 driver groups said.
As a result, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and Grab continue to “clash” with one another, Melissa B. Redulla, who leads the TNVS Leaders Council (TLC).
“The government seems unprepared for the arrival of such a business to the Philippines. They keep trying to use the same laws they use on public utility vehicles, which I think is a problem,” she said during a briefing on Friday.
Drivers also asked the LTFRB to lift its suspension on the P2 per minute waiting time charge, as they said they earn very little now because of low fares.
If the issue is left unresolved, it is the riding public that loses the most, she said.
After the suspension was issued on April 20, Grab already filed a motion for reconsideration, but the government has yet to respond to the appeal.
Increasing gasoline prices have made it more difficult for Grab drivers to make ends meet, said Ms. Redulla, who is a driver-operator herself.
Before the P2-minute waiting charge was suspended, she said she used to get P3,000 gross out of 20 trips daily.
“Imagine, you drive 15 hours, 18 hours a day. Sixteen completed trips. And you get a gross of P2,000?” she said.
For his part, Winson S. Esteras, representing the Coalition of TNVS Providers, said that the group still hopes that the LTFRB “would consider their situation.”
“We still hope that the government, especially the LTFRB, would give us consideration on what we really deserve based on gasoline and other expenses that we need to operate,” he said. — Denise A. Valdez

6 foreigners in P6.4-billion shabu shipment case barred from leaving the country

FOUR Chinese and two Taiwanese nationals implicated in the P6.4-billion Chinese shabu shipment case have been disallowed from leaving the country, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Friday.
The agency made this announcement after the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 46 issued Hold Departure Orders (HDOs) against them.
“The Bureau will immediately implement the HDOs and include the names in the Bureau’s database,” the agency’s spokesperson Atty. Ma. Antonette Mangrobang said, referring to Chinese nationals Richard Chen, Many Li, Kenneth Dong and
Chen Rong Huan as well as Taiwanese nationals Chen I-Min and Jhu Ming Jyun.
On November 30 last year, Mr. Cheng attempted to leave the country but was stopped by officers on the strength of an Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order (ILBO) issued against him.
Mr. Cheng and the others are accused of violating Republic Act No. 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 for smuggling illegal drugs. They also face charges at a Valenzuela City court for the delivery of illegal drugs.
The charges against them stemmed from the 600 kilograms worth of shabu seized by the Bureau of Customs and the National Bureau of Investigation in May last year from a warehouse in Valenzuela City. — Dane M. Enerio

Gov't releases P448 million for workers displaced by Boracay shutdown

THE government has released P448 million to finance livelihood programs that will benefit workers affected by Boracay’s six-month closure.
These funds, which were released to the Department of Labor and Employment, will be spent for emergency employment and training programs that will benefit workers displaced by island’s shutdown, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said.
The financial aid will cover 17,735 registered formal sector workers in Boracay’s tourism industry.
Boracay has been closed to tourists starting Thursday, April 26 for a six-month clean-up and rehabilitation drive as ordered by President Rodrigo R. Duterte. The plan is to demolish illegal structures and install waste management and sewerage systems in the popular tourist destination.

Budget Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno said the funds were drawn from the P13-billion Contingent Fund under the P3.767-trillion national budget for 2018. This allocation “may be used to cover the funding requirements of new or urgent projects and activities of the national government agencies” subject to the approval of the President, the DBM said.
The Labor department has set up the Boracay Emergency Employment Program in response to the temporary shutdown, eyeing to provide safety nets for workers and small firms which will lose their businesses during the period.
“Under this program, worker-beneficiaries shall get 50% of the prevailing minimum wage rate in the region for six months, which shall be linked to employment facilitation, training and livelihood programs,” the DBM statement read.
Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia has said that the closure of Boracay will have a “minimal” impact to overall economic growth, saying that visitors may instead choose to travel to other islands in the Philippines.
Losses are expected at roughly P2 billion, although over 30,000 workers from both the formal and informal sectors are expected to be affected. — Melissa Luz T. Lopez

Survey: Nearly all Filipinos say commodity prices have gone up

PRACTICALLY all Filipinos have reported that costs of commodities they usually buy have gone up, with more than eight in ten saying they were “strongly affected” by these price increases.

These, among others, were the results of Pulse Asia’s March 2018 Ulat ng Bayan survey that was released on Friday.
Ninety-eight percent of 1,200 Filipinos surveyed said that “there are commodities that they usually buy whose prices have gone up since January 2018,” the survey said, with similar figures being reported across different geographic areas and socio-economic classes.
“[A]n overwhelming majority of Filipinos (86%) [reported] being strongly affected by the rise in the prices of basic commodities,” while 13% were somewhat affected and only 1% of were not affected at all, Pulse Asia said.
Of the items whose prices have gone up, Filipinos cited food (which was reported by 98% of participants), particularly rice (81%), non-rice items (67%), and sugar sweetened beverages such as juices or soft drinks (56%).
These were followed by electricity (30%), transportation-related items such as fuel (22%) and fares (16%), medicine and other health-related needs (9%), cigarettes (5%), alcoholic drinks (4%), cellphone load (3%), water (2%), and recreation related expenses (1%).
Meanwhile, participants from Mindanao (99%) were the most affected by these increases, followed by Visayas (97%), NCR (92%), and lastly by the rest of Luzon (87%.)
In terms of socio-economic groupings, those from class E (94%) reported price increases the most, just slightly edging out against class D (93%) while class ABC (86%) was the most unaffected.
The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported that overall inflation rose by 4.3% back in March, exceeding the government’s estimated ceiling of 4%. — Dane M. Enerio

Global stocks hold on to earnings boost; treasuries rally

Global stocks nudged higher as the latest bout of earnings results buoyed sentiment in the technology sector and traders kept an eye on the historic meeting between the leaders of North and South Korea. The dollar advanced and Treasuries extended gains.
10-year Treasury yields edged further below 3%, also spurring advances in most other sovereign bond prices. The euro retreated after growth data from France and Spain, while the pound slipped ahead of the U.K.’s latest GDP numbers, and the South Korean won climbed with the summit in focus. Commodities retreated, led lower by oil.
Investors are taking heart from optimistic pronouncements from the likes of Amazon.com Inc., Intel Corp. and Baidu Inc., shaking off what had been a nervous few months in the technology sector. The upbeat mood was bolstered further as geopolitical tensions eased, with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un crossing the border to the south to hold talks over his nuclear weapons program.
Elsewhere, the yen was little changed after the Bank of Japan maintained its stimulus, as expected. — Bloomberg

BDO hikes LTNCD offer on strong investor demand

BDO Unibank, Inc. increased the offering of its long-term negotiable certificates of deposit (LTNCD) as it saw strong demand from investors.
In a disclosure to the local stock exchange on Friday, April 27, the Sy-led bank said it raised its LTNCD offer to P8.2 billion from P5 billion as it saw strong demand from both retail and institutional investors.
The offering, which started last week, booked total subscriptions of P12.3 billion, more than twice the offer the bank initially intended.
The latest tranche of long-term notes has a term of five and a half years with an interest rate set at 4.375% per annum. The issue date is on May 7, while the maturity date will be on Nov. 7, 2023.
BDO likewise shortened the offer period for its LTNCD to April 26, two days ahead of schedule. — Karl Angelo N. Vidal

Officials seek probe into Zamboanga footbridge that collapsed

ZAMBOANGA CITY — Local officials have called for a probe into the construction of a wooden footbridge that collapsed, forcing officials visiting a housing project here to fall into waist-deep, muddy waters.
Although some members of the visiting party incurred minor injuries, several officials nevertheless sought an investigation into the construction of the structure, which was planned and implemented by the National Housing Authority-Zamboanga Peninsula (NHA-9) regional office.
“I want to find out who approved the design and who constructed it,” said Negros Occidental Rep. Alfredo Abelardo B. Benitez, chair of the committee on housing and urban development, in an interview after the incident. “The footbridge which we crossed was obviously not strong enough to hold us.”
Mr. Benitez was among the officials who plunged into the water, along with Zamboanga City District 1 Rep. Celso L. Lobregat, Mayor Ma. Isabelle Climaco-Salazar, NHA officials, and members of the local media.
On Thursday, they conducted a site visit of the housing project belonging to the
Mariki, Rio Hondo, Sta. Barbara, Sta. Catalina, and Kasanyangan communities.
The project is part of the Zamboanga City Roadmap to Recovery and Rehabilitation (Z3R), which covers a development master plan for the reconstruction of the coastal communities damaged during the September 2013 battle between government forces and members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) who stormed the city.
Besides the poorly-constructed footbridge, Mr. Benitez said the housing units and the foundations are likewise substandard.
“There is a disaster waiting to happen if we do not act now, it might be worse,” he said.
For her part, Ms. Climaco in a statement apologized for what she called a “mishap,” adding that, “[l]et those found at fault face justice.”
“The incident truly shows the poor state of housing projects currently implemented by the National Housing Authority. I, together with Cong. Albee Benitez, Cong. Celso Lobregat and other officials, staff and some members of the media are first-hand witnesses, and victims, of NHA Region 9’s gross incompetence and negligence,” the mayor said.
She added: “The Z3R Housing Project was designed to give decent homes to those poor residents who were greatly victimized during the 2013 Zamboanga siege, and now they are again victims, this time, of NHA’s ineptitude.” — Albert F. Arcilla

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