Facebook Instagram Linkedin Twitter Youtube
Home Blog Page 1538

Marcos vetoes police reform bill

PHILIPPINE STAR/EDD GUMBAN

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. has vetoed a bill seeking to reform the Philippine National Police (PNP), citing loopholes including a provision that goes against his government’s rightsizing push.

Mr. Marcos wants to ensure that any changes in the police force are “fair, clear and truly beneficial to everyone involved,” Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin said in a statement on Thursday.

He said the bill pushes changes to police salaries that “could cause unfair disparities among officers.”

“The President believes it is essential to maintain fairness and equality in compensation for all members of the PNP,” he said.

He added that the bill could lead to unnecessary bureaucracy and inefficiency because it creates new offices under the PNP.

“Our administration’s goal is to streamline operations, not complicate them,” Mr. Bersamin said. “Furthermore, adding more liaison offices could pose security risks. The current structure already provides robust oversight and coordination.”

He said proposed changes to the Internal Affairs Service (IAS), which investigates police misconduct, could compromise its independence.

“Moreover, some parts of the bill are unclear, particularly regarding retroactive benefits for officers. The bill should avoid any confusion and ensure consistent application of rules,” he added. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

Former palace spokesman threatens to sue for libel

HERMINIO “HARRY” L. ROQUE — PHILSTAR FILE PHOTO

EX-PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte’s former spokesman has threatened to sue several local newspapers for cyberlibel, accusing them of misreporting the gaming regulator’s testimony at a Senate hearing the day earlier.

In a Facebook post, former palace spokesman Herminio “Harry” L. Roque belied news reports that Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Alejandro H. Tengco had testified that he “lobbied for illegal POGOs (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations).”

“This is a complete fabrication and a serious misrepresentation of the facts.”

Mr. Tengco on Wednesday told senators Mr. Roque lawyered for Lucky South 99, a POGO that authorities have linked to human trafficking, last year.

They later met to discuss the POGO’s unpaid taxes worth $500,000 (P29 million) in July last year, among other things.

Mr. Tengco said Mr. Roque was “not demanding,” adding that he did not feel pressured to do anything. “As a lawyer, he was probably just accompanying his client.”

“He confirmed that my interaction with Pagcor was solely to schedule a payment for Lucky South 99, which held a valid license from Pagcor at that time,” Mr. Roque said in his social media post.

The ex-Duterte spokesman on Wednesday denied lawyering for the Lucky South, whose hub was raided by law enforcers last month.

“I requested a rescheduling of arrears payment of a lessee and principal of my client Whirlwind Corp., a service provider to Lucky South, then a holder of a valid license from Pagcor,” he said in a Facebook video.

“I did not consent to nor was I informed of my name’s inclusion in any submission by Lucky South with Pagcor concerning license renewal,” he added.

He said he had met with Pagcor officials because he thought Lucky South 99 had fallen victim to estafa.

“As a lawyer, I could not directly engage with the POGO because of a potential conflict of interest and given the soured lease contract between Whirlwind and Lucky South,” Mr. Roque said.

At the Senate hearing, Mr. Tengco showed the organizational chart of the offshore gambling firm, which listed Mr. Roque as being part of “legal.”

Senator Ana Theresia N. Hontiveros, who heads the committee on women and children, invited Mr. Roque to the next hearing.

Meanwhile, Senator Emmanuel Joel J. Villanueva urged his colleagues to prioritize a measure that seeks to ban all forms of online gambling operations in the country, including POGOs, which have been linked to crimes.

In a statement, he said state revenues from online gambling and offshore gaming are not worth pursuing if crimes persist.

He also urged President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s economic managers to discuss proposals to ban POGOs.

“From the very start until now, we believe that these do not bring any benefits,” Mr. Villanueva said in Filipino. “We owe it to our countrymen to prioritize their safety and welfare from any danger.”

In 2022, Mr. Villanueva filed Senate Bill No. 1281, which seeks to outlaw all forms of online gambling. The measure has yet to be tackled by a Senate committee.

Under the measure, people who gamble on the internet face six months of jail time and a fine of as much as P500,000. It will also repeal all laws, executive orders and other rules authorizing online gambling.

“The consequences of gambling and online gambling are too severe to be ignored,” Mr. Villanueva said in the bill’s explanatory note. “The cost of gambling is no longer limited to the loss of money, but extends to the loss of values and lives.”

Congress under former President Rodrigo R. Duterte passed a law taxing POGOs to legalize them, despite concerns about their social costs. Chinese President Xi Jinping had asked him to ban their operations.

Finance Secretary Ralph G. Recto on Monday said he would consider recommending the ban of these gambling operations, mostly Chinese firms that operate online casinos, to Mr. Marcos.

Philippine authorities have raided POGOs allegedly linked to crimes including human trafficking.

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. earlier said the government could lose P20 billion in yearly revenues if POGOs are banned. — John Victor D. Ordoñez and NPA

DoJ, UP and UN body agree to enhance probe of prisoners’ deaths

PHILIPPINE STAR/ MIGUEL DE GUZMAN

THE PHILIPPINES’ Department of Justice (DoJ) on Thursday signed a declaration with the University of the Philippines (UP)-Manila College of Medicine and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to strengthen the investigation process on the deaths of prisoners.

Under the commitment, dead convicts in Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) facilities in Metro Manila, including the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW), will be immediately sent to UP Medicine facilities that oversee autopsies and death investigations.

BuCor Director-General Gregorio Pio P. Catapang, Jr. told reporters on the sidelines of the signing that under the deal, all dead inmates will be autopsied, not just those with suspicions of foul play.

UP will provide technical expertise to conduct autopsies on bodies, led by forensic pathologist Raquel B. Del Rosario-Fortun.

Ms. Fortun said prison deaths should be treated as a health concern. She added that authorities should not just look for foul play, but also consider if those were preventable deaths.

She sought better healthcare for prisoners, noting that they should be accorded dignity even in death.

“Based on my professional experience both as a public defender and as a UN diplomat, when we help countries strengthen their forensic sciences, they are able to bring accountability in and out of government and across society and build the confidence of the citizens in the integrity of their government when they see justice served,” UNODC Regional Director Masood Karimipour said at the signing ceremony.

BuCor registered more than 4,600 prisoner deaths from 2020 to June 30, 2024. This year, BuCor counted 487 deaths, Mr. Catapang said.

The DoJ said the declaration emphasized the importance of the 2016 Revised United Nations Manual on the Effective Prevention and Investigation of Extra-legal, Arbitrary and Summary Executions, or the Minnesota Protocol.

The document helps direct the investigation of custodial deaths. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana

PHL, Cambodia eye investments

PHILIPPINE Ambassador to Cambodia Flerida Ann Camille P. Mayo on Wednesday met with Cambodian Senate President Techo Hun Sen to discuss boosting investments in the food and beverage, retail, health and education sectors between both countries, according to the Philippine Embassy in Cambodia.

“It bodes well for our countries’ friendship that our leaders have set the directions to expand our partnership for mutual benefit,” the envoy told Mr. Hun Sen, based on an embassy statement.

The embassy said the envoy and lawmaker discussed their countries’ ties in tourism and cybersecurity, international and regional issues.

It added that the Cambodian Senate leader had a “positive view” of Filipino workers and Philippine businesses in his country.

Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. met with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on the sidelines of the 50th Association of Southeast Asian Nations-Australia Special Summit in March, where both agreed to work on rice deals and tourism. — John Victor D. Ordoñez

Marcos touts Calabarzon projects

President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. on Thursday distributed aid to farmers and fisherfolk in Dasmarinas, Cavite, where about 12,000 families benefited. The President said his government has spent about P10 billion for development projects in the Calabarzon region. — PPA POOL / MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. on Thursday said his government has spent about P10 billion for development projects in the Calabarzon region.

“From 2023 to 2024, we have given almost P10 billion for the Philippine rural development plan here in Region 4-A,” he said in a speech at an assistance distribution for farmers and fisherfolk in Batangas province.

“We are continuously working to boost the economy of Calabarzon.”

Projects in the region include the Taal Lake circumferential road and Lobo Malabrigo-San Juan Laiya Road in Batangas province and the Quipot irrigation project and Macalelon irrigation project in Quezon province, he said.

Meanwhile, in his visit to Cavite province, Mr. Marcos said the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 1 Cavite Extension project is nearing completion.

“The Cavite-Laguna Expressway-Cavite Segment and the South Luzon Expressway Toll Road 4 are also under construction,” he added.

In his Calabarzon trips, Mr. Marcos led the distribution of P10,000 cash aid to beneficiaries from the provinces of Batangas, Laguna and Quezon.

Batangas province also got 24.04 million, while Quezon and Laguna each received P28.81 million and P17.42. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

Makabayan to field Senate bets

AN ACTIVIST group at the House of Representatives on Thursday said it will field 12 senatorial bets in the 2025 midterm elections, vowing to reject factions within the ruling Marcos coalition. 

In a statement, Koalisyong Makabayan said it would stand as “the people’s opposition” amid the growing rift between the group of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. and the family of ex-President Rodrigo R. Duterte.

“Makabayan is prepared to field not just one or two senatorial candidates but a full Senate slate of nationalist and progressive candidates who will push for a comprehensive national democratic program,” it said.

At a separate briefing, Makabayan member and former Party-list Rep. Neri J. Colmenares said the group would popularize an anti-war campaign amid tensions in the South China Sea.

Makabayan has been critical of both China and the US. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

Bayan to burn effigies at SONA

ACTIVISTS and campaigners for various sectors march along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City on July 25, 2022 ahead of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s first State of the Nation Address. — PHILIPPINE STAR/ RUSSELL PALMA

BAGONG Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) on Thursday said it would burn effigies at rallies during President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s state of the nation address (SONA) before Congress later this month despite a warning from the Quezon City police.

“Burning of effigies is protected speech,” Bayan Secretary-General Raymond V. Palatino said in a statement. “It reflects people’s outrage over the gross incompetence and grave abuses of the Marcos government.”

He noted that the city prosecutor had dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Quezon City police over the burning of an effigy during a similar protest last year.

“Authorities are desperate in discouraging people to join the SONA protest by spreading fear and intimidating the public, but we will defy and resist it,” Bayan said. “We will burn an effigy of Marcos who represents the biggest scourge in the country today.”

Meanwhile, Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio said she would not attend Mr. Marcos’ third SONA. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

Teen pregnancy bill passage urged

PIXABAY

POPULATION groups on Thursday asked senators to approve the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention bill before Congress adjourns this month, saying teen pregnancies are a major barrier to human development.

“If the government can only optimize its working age population by employing them or utilizing human capital, they can accelerate socioeconomic development,” Lolito R. Tacardon, deputy executive director of the Commission on Population and Development, told a forum.

“Teenage pregnancy is one of the barriers to human capital development, and its impact is not only immediate; it has a lifelong implication.”  

Data from the local statistics agency showed that the number of live births among girls aged 14 and below jumped by 35.13% to 3,135 in 2022 from a year earlier.  Live births by women aged 19 and below rose by 10.15% to 150,138.

The Philippines loses P33 billion in potential income annually due to teen pregnancy, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) said in a 2020 study. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz

2 pupils missing after floods

COTABATO CITY — Rescuers were still searching for two grade school students swept away by rampaging floods that hit four Bangsamoro towns on Tuesday night, according to the Office of Civil Defense.

The floods destroyed hundreds of houses and ravaged swaths of agricultural lands.

The agency and Ministry of Social Services and Development and local governments in Matanog in Maguindanao del Sur and in Malabang, Balabagan and Kapatagan, all in Lanao del Sur, were distributing aid to about 10,000 villagers affected by the calamity.

The floods that hit the predominantly Moro villages were preceded by torrential rains early on Tuesday. — John Felix M. Unson

11 die in highway mishap

BAGUIO CITY — Eleven passengers of a pick-up truck died after midnight on Thursday when a south-bound Florida passenger bus heading to Sta. Ana, Cagayan, rammed into the vehicle in Abulug, Cagayan.

The 11, who were heading home after attending a wake at Flora, Apayao, were all declared dead on arrival at the Far North Luzon General Hospital and Medical Training Center in Luna, Apayao.

The pick-up truck driver and two other passengers were hurt.

Abulug town police chief Major Antonio Palattao said the bus dragged the pick-up truck and sent it ramming into a market stall nearby and injuring a bystander.

He said they were reviewing CCTV footage to confirm the cause of the accident. The bus driver faces homicide charges. — Artemio A. Dumlao

LDF to aid PHL access resources

NDRRMC.GOV.PH

THE PHILIPPINES’ hosting of the United Nations Loss and Damage Fund (LDF) would pave the way for well-funded climate mitigation programs given its experience with typhoons and other natural disasters, a Philippine congressman said on Thursday.

“Hosting the Loss and Damage Fund will help the Philippines gain fair access to financial resources for funding climate change adaptation and mitigation measures,” Albay Rep. Jose Maria Clemente “Joey” S. Salceda said in a statement.

“Loss and damage are adverse impacts of climate change despite adaptation and mitigation measures,” he said. “They are, in other words, the unavoidable losses due to the fault primarily of industrialized countries.”

The Philippines was selected to host the Loss and Damage Fund board at a meeting in Incheon, South Korea on Tuesday, Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. said in an X post on Tuesday. — John Victor D. Ordoñez

Gilas are in for long haul as team sets its sights on 2028 Olympics

TIM CONE — FIBA

ON to the next.

That’s the mentality Gilas Pilipinas is embracing as it picks itself up from the disappointing conclusion of its Paris Olympics bid and steers into the long road to the 2028 Games.

“We really felt that we had a chance to win the tournament (Olympic Qualifiers in Latvia) so losing to (semifinal rival) Brazil at the end was very disappointing for all of us; shattered all of our dreams and that’s always tough,” Tim Cone said on The Big Story on One PH.

“But as I told the players, the ending of this particular tournament was bad but it’s not really the end. It’s a really good beginning for us as we continue this quest over the next four years,” he added.

Under Mr. Cone’s program, the 12-strong Gilas led by naturalized player Justin Brownlee, June Mar Fajardo, Kai Sotto and Dwight Ramos are in for the long haul.

After their strong showing in the OQT in Latvia highlighted by an 89-80 upset of the world No. 6 hosts in group play, the Nationals will reassemble in November to play a pair of home games in the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers against New Zealand and Hong Kong.

Aside from the Asia Cup, they’re also booked for action in several other international competitions like the Southeast Asian Games and the Asian Games before going to battle in the 2027 FIBA World Cup and shooting for an outright passage of the 2028 Olympiad as the top Asian team there.

Mr. Cone said he’s sticking to his original program for 12 players, with occasional subs in case of injuries such as when Japeth Aguilar and Mason Amos were called to fill in for AJ Edu and Jamie Malonzo in the OQT.

“I didn’t want to get a huge pool and cut players. Also, we don’t have a long preparation time for each tournament. If we want long preparation, these players will not be available to us and if you have a big pool, you need longer preparation because you have more people to teach,” he said.

He feels the short bursts of training in every international campaign by the Gilas combo of veterans and young guns, when accumulated over time, should be enough to make Gilas fully-equipped for its second attempt at the Olympiad.

“There’s always going to be limitations. But this is the way that I see personally — and this is shared with (president) Al (Panlilio) and (executive director) Erika Dy (of the SBP) — this is the way that we can find some success and still develop the team and reach that goal of getting to the LA Olympics through the World  Cup,” he said. — Olmin Leyba

1...1,5371,5381,539...12,801Page 1,538 of 12,801
© 2024 BusinessWorld Publishing.
All rights reserved.
Read our privacy guidelines
Facebook Instagram Linkedin Twitter Youtube