Senator raises alarm on POGO links to surveillance, hacking

May 7, 2024 | 8:44 pm

risa-hontiveros — PHILSTAR FILE PHOTO/ SENATE PRIB/JOSEPH VIDAL

By John Victor D. Ordoñez, Reporter

A PHILIPPINE Senator raised concern on Tuesday over the possible connections of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) to hacking and surveillance of government websites.

“How many times have we called for POGOs to leave the country because of their links to crime and fugitives?” Senate Ana Theresia N. Hontiveros-Baraquel told a Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality in Filipino.

“Now that we see a national security issue, what else is the government waiting for? Why are we not banning POGOs?”

Senators are looking into cases of human trafficking, torture, and other crimes committed in POGO hubs after a recent raid resulted in the rescue of hundreds of POGO workers in Bamban, Tarlac.

“I was very disturbed to hear that there is persuasive information from the intelligence community Bamban complex that this is being used for surveillance activities, and that some high-profile cases of hacking of our own government websites are traceable to this complex,” Ms. Hontiveros-Baraquel said.

Earlier, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) reported a series of cyber hacking incidents on the websites of the Bureau of Customs, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and the Department of Science and Technology, among others.

In February, it reported that hackers using Chinese IP (Internet Protocol) addresses tried to hack the website of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) more than 17,000 times at the start of the year.

It also said that hackers had targeted the email domains of agencies including the Cabinet Secretary, PCG, Department of Justice, the National Coast Watch System, and the President’s official website.

Information and Communications Technology Secretary Ivan John E. Uy has said the Philippines only had about 200 certified cybersecurity experts in 2022.

Cybersecurity company Kaspersky said the Philippines ranked second among countries with the most cyberattacks globally in 2022.

At the same hearing, Ways and Means Committee Chairperson Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian reiterated his call to ban all POGOs in the country, saying their links to crimes outweigh economic gains.

“So, we see there is no good in bringing POGO here,” he said. “The POGO should really be stopped because what we fear is already here… they know how to use money, bribes to protect them in their operation here in our country.”

Malacañang last month ordered the Anti-Money Laundering Council to freeze the assets of a POGO hub in Tarlac province in the northern Philippines.

A total of 868 POGO workers were rescued during a March 13 raid after the company was linked to human trafficking and torture crimes.

The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission seized about P6 million in cash and passports in 11 vaults found in the POGO hub. Authorities also seized at least 60.

“POGOs are a petri dish for crimes,” Ms. Hontiveros-Baraquel said. “If the administration really wants to fight crime and threats to national security, the President should start banning POGOs.”

Analyst tells Philippines not to rule out using water cannons vs Chinese vessels

May 7, 2024 | 8:43 pm

WPS-water canon incident1 — PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD PHOTO

By Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza, Reporter

THE PHILIPPINES should never rule out the use of water cannons and other non-lethal means in defending its features in the South China Sea so as not to give China room to step up its expansionism, a geopolitical expert said.

“Keeping options open for the use of water cannons or other form of non-lethal means for self defense should not be completely ruled out, given Beijing’s unwillingness to tone down its provocations,” Don Mclain Gill, an international relations lecturer at De La Salle University, said in a Facebook Messenger chat.

“Moreover, keeping such options open will not compromise the Philippines’ defense-oriented position, but will merely be an additional layer of non-lethal defense.”

On Monday, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. said the Philippines would never fire water cannons against Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessels in the South China Sea in retaliation to avoid worsening tensions.

Following China’s recent action of firing water cannons at Philippine government-contracted boats delivering supplies to a Navy outpost at Second Thomas Shoal — which has drawn international condemnation — Senator Aquilino Martin L. Pimentel, III suggested that the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) equip its vessels with water cannons.

“Even if equipped with water cannons, the Philippines faces the issue of being overmatched by China’s large and numerous coast guard and militia ships,” said Raymond M. Powell, SeaLight director at the Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation at Stanford University.

“While the Philippines would be perfectly justified in returning fire with its own water cannons, in most cases it would not be able to overcome the mass of ships China would be able to throw into a fight,” he added.

The PCG has accused its Chinese counterpart of deliberately escalating the tension after firing jet stream water cannons against its ship and another owned by the fishery bureau on April 30 in the waters of Scarborough Shoal, which also falls within Manila’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Mr. Gill said Manila needs to predict how retaliating through non-lethal force such as water cannons will figure in China’s calculations. “If China puts a cap on its escalation, this will allow the Philippines and its partners to better assess how to deal with Beijing with less uncertainty.”

The Philippines has a mutual defense treaty with the United States, and experts have said China’s use of water cannons is a form of harassment that stops short of a military confrontation but gets the job done nonetheless in terms of establishing control over a geographical space.

Mr. Gill expects China to continue to exploit water cannon use and other tactics that may not be deemed as acts of war given its acknowledgement of the implications of a potential activation of the defense treaty.

“While more water cannons, vessel damage, and ramming may be anticipated, it is also crucial to understand that China will only seek to escalate to a certain degree given its acknowledgement of the implications of utilizing the Mutual Defense Treaty with the US if Filipino crew members were to suffer a fatal casualty,” he said.

“However, such measures also involve a lot of strategic risks and potentials for miscalculation,” he added. “On the contrary, however, by not adding such additional layers, continuity in China’s provocations will likely be the expected scenario.”

Mr. Powell said the Marcos administration’s approach “recognizes the force imbalance” and instead adopts a non-violent direct action, “which has been used successfully in places like colonial India and the segregated South in the US to draw attention to powerful, immoral oppressors.”

The PCG had said its ship incurred over P2 million in damages due to Chinese action on April 30, noting that it was “evidence of the forceful water pressure used by the China Coast Guard in their harassment of the Philippine vessels.”

Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Romeo S. Brawner, Jr. last year said China was using its coast guard instead of its Navy force to harass Filipino vessels because “they want to act short of declaring war.”

He said the Chinese Coast Guard is not a civilian agency because it is under China’s Central Military Commission, adding that an attack, even with just a water cannon, on a Navy ship could be interpreted “as an act of war already.”

Last December, Mr. Brawner was aboard a Philippine resupply boat that was hit by water cannons fired by the Chinese Coast Guard.

The PCG was under the Department of National Defense before it was transferred to the Office of the President on March 30, 1998 through an order issued by the late President Fidel V. Ramos. Less than a month later, Mr. Ramos transferred the PCG to the Department of Transportation and Communications, which was split into two into separate agencies in 2016 through a law signed by the late former president Benigno S. Aquino, III.

Probe ‘risky’ GSIS investment plans — congressmen

May 7, 2024 | 8:42 pm

By Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio

OPPOSITION lawmakers in the House of Representatives filed on Monday a resolution seeking to investigate alleged irregular investments plans by the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) which puts state pensions at severe risk.

According to House Resolution (HR) No. 1705, the GSIS is exposing its insurance members to risks of capital wipeout due to its investments.

“We need to investigate these investments and ensure that the GSIS is transparent and accountable in its dealings,” Deputy Minority Leader and Party-list Rep. France L. Castro said in a statement. “We must protect the pension funds of our government employees and workers from inefficient and/or corrupt practices.”

Citing a Commission on Audit (CoA) report, the lawmakers noted that GSIS invested a total of P2.3 billion in three different companies, of which it already lost P183 million due to the stock investments.

The investments threaten GSIS’ solvency and exposed its members’ contribution to risks as it invested in the companies which have no “proven track record of profitability over the last three years,” the resolution stated.

The GSIS did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on the matter.

Earlier, former party-list representative and Makabayan bloc member Ferdinand R. Gaite warned the government against allowing the GSIS investments in a firm previously owned by Lehman Brothers — the American financial services provider that filed for bankruptcy in 2008 amid the subprime mortgage crisis in the United States.

Current members of the Makabayan bloc alleged that the pension fund violated its policy prohibiting the investment on companies with a market capitalization of less than P15 billion by investing in a company valued at P2.8 billion.

They said congressional probe will attempt to identify possible vulnerabilities to GSIS’ investment policies that could expose the pension fund to capital wipeout risks.

DBM OK’s P8 billion for health aid, allowances

May 7, 2024 | 8:41 pm

By Beatriz Marie D. Cruz, Reporter

AT LEAST P8 billion in additional funds have been approved by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) for the Department of Health’s (DoH) medical assistance for the poor and emergency benefits of health and non-healthcare workers.

In a press release on Tuesday, Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman said she approved the release of an additional Notice of Cash Allocation (NCA) to cover P2.439 billion for the Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially-Incapacitated Patients (MAIP) and P5.566 billion for the Public Health Emergency Benefits and Allowances (PHEBA).

MAIP is a key program of the DoH, supporting the medical needs of the poor and financially incapacitated for in-patient, out-patient, comprehensive check-ups, and emergency services. It also covers other health-related spending like drugs, medicines, and professional fees.

Under the PHEBA program, healthcare workers receive key benefits, such as the Health Emergency Allowance (HEA) or One COVID-19 Allowance (OCA), Special Risk Allowance (SRA), COVID-19 Sickness and Death Compensation. It also covers other healthcare benefits like meals, accommodation, and transportation allowance.

WAGE HIKE STUDY OUT SOON
Meanwhile, Ms. Pangandaman also committed to coming out with its study on the proposal to increase the salaries of government workers within the first half of 2024.

“We recognize that the rising cost of the basic commodities and services in the country highlights the need to review the current state of compensation of government employees,” she said in separate statement.

“The proposed compensation adjustment should consider not only the inflation rates and cost of living adjustments, but also standard market practices to ensure that working in government remains desirable and comparable to working in the private sector,” she added.

Marcos on PDEA list hearsay — SP

May 7, 2024 | 8:40 pm

SENATE President (SP) Juan Miguel F. Zubiri dismissed as hearsay on Tuesday a supposed Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) list with President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. on it due to lack of credible evidence.

“In other words, this (allegation) was solely based on what appears to be hearsay evidence,” said Mr. Zubiri in a news briefing. “Even the drug test of the President is being brought up even though it does not appear to be germane or important to the subject matter of the investigation.”

When reporters asked the Chief Executive to comment on the allegations on Wednesday, he just laughed off the issue.

“There have been instances where statements were made in legislative inquiries, only to be recanted before the courts later on,” Mr. Zubiri said. “We do not want a repeat of that.”

The Senate is in the middle of looking into the alleged PDEA drug list, which contained names of famous actors and politicians. PDEA has denied Mr. Marcos’ inclusion in its drug watch list. — John Victor D. Ordoñez

‘Investing in Women’ launched

May 7, 2024 | 8:40 pm

THE AUSTRALIAN mission in the Philippines on Tuesday launched its new phase of its “Investing in Women” initiative to boost women’s economic development.

“Ensuring women have opportunities to engage equitably in the workforce provides great economic and social dividends,” said Australian Deputy Head of Mission Moya Collett during the launch at a hotel in Makati City.

“According to a 2018 study by McKinsey & Company, advancing gender equality in the Philippines, across all socio-economic groups, could see annual Gross Domestic Product growth by up to 7%,” she said.

The new phase of Investing in Women will build on its prior accomplishments, while also strengthening the evidence base and driving collective action to inform policy reforms that support women’s equal economic participation, specifically related to care work.

Since 2016, Investing in Women financed P199.51 million in 34 women-led and owned small and medium enterprises, used P624.89 million in private investment, and established the Philippine Business Coalition for Women’s Empowerment.

These women-led businesses trained over 300 female smallholder farmers, about 3,000 female agri-distributers, and 557 female teachers.

Investing in Women, an initiative by the Australian Government, aims to accelerate women’s economic empowerment by promoting gender equality, enabling policy reforms, supporting local campaigns, and investing in women-owned businesses. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana

P333-M marijuana farms burned

May 7, 2024 | 8:39 pm

BAGUIO CITY — Authorities had torched down P332.9 million worth of marijuana from illicit plantations in the mountains of Kalinga and Benguet since Sunday.

Brig. Gen. David K. Peredo, Cordillera police director, said the marijuana plants were discovered and destroyed in six eradication operations in Kalinga and one in Benguet.

Mr. Peredo said he has ordered investigators to find out who were behind the plantations so they could build up cases against them. — Artemio A. Dumlao

Expert wary of closing Roxas Blvd.

May 7, 2024 | 8:39 pm

A TRANSPORTATION expert is wary of the consequences of a Manila councilor’s proposal to close Roxas Boulevard to vehicular traffic on Sundays, saying it would adversely affect the mobility of urban dwellers and may even worsen pollution.

Under Manila City Councilor Salvador Philip H. Lacuna’s Draft Ordinance 8724, Roxas Boulevard will be closed every Sunday to give way to more outdoor exercise activities. The so-called “MOVE (MOtor VEhicle Free) Manila Ordinance” was approved on third and final reading and is now awaiting the signature of Mayor Maria Sheilah “Honey” Lacuna-Pangan to take effect.

However, Rene S. Santiago, a founding member of the Transportation Science Society of the Philippines, told BusinessWorld in a Viber message that pollution may worsen if diverted vehicles spend more fuel in the process.

“The slower the vehicles, due to traffic congestion, the more fuel [they] consume,” Mr. Santiago said.

Transport advocate Ira F. Cruz welcomed Manila’s initiative for promoting active transportation and reducing carbon emissions, echoing the sentiment of reclaiming roads for people.

Transport planner and economist Robert Y. Siy, Jr., in an email to BusinessWorld, also welcomed the pending ordinance and supported expanding car-less Sundays to create healthier, more leisure-friendly urban environments.

While small businesses stand to benefit should the bayside highway be closed for leisure and commercial activities, Mr. Siy said exemplifies the “severe shortage of parks and green public spaces.”

For Mr. Santiago, though, the closure of both the north and southbound lanes of the highway from Padre Burgos Avenue to Quirino Avenue every Sunday from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. carries a consequence.

“Sunday is usually a day with less traffic, but also a day for family promenade or cruising on the Boulevard. Closure for [the] entire stretch of the Boulevard will adversely affect these segments of urban dwellers,” he said. “Because of sea breeze, air pollution is less concentrated in the Bay area; thus, it [may be] the wrong place to make an impact on dangerous levels of vehicular population.”

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) did not reject the proposal, according to Mr. Lacuna. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana

Zamboanga court convicts extremist group financer

May 7, 2024 | 8:39 pm

A ZAMBOANGA court has found a lady financer of the extremist Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) guilty of terrorism charges.

The Zamboanga Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 33 found Norkisa Omar Asnalul guilty beyond reasonable doubt of three counts of violating the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012 (RA 10168).

“The Court finds no legal impediment to the plea-bargaining agreement entered into by the prosecution and the defense, particularly considering that the lower offense to which the accused wishes to now plead guilty is penalized under the same law as that for which she is originally charged,” Zamboanga RTC Branch 33 Judge Shaldilyn B. Bangsaja wrote in the decision.

During the arraignment, the accused pleaded not guilty to all charges, but later offered to plead guilty to a lesser offense, acting as an accessory in terror financing, as part of a plea bargain.

She received a sentence ranging from four months and one day to a maximum of one year, seven months, and 10 days in prison; and ordered to pay a fine of P100,000.

The charges were based on allegations that she facilitated fund transfers in 2015 on behalf of the group.

“The conviction of a member of the terrorist group more so, a financial facilitator, strengthens the government’s resolve not to give in to their unlawful demands,” said Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla in a statement on Tuesday. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana

MILF political bloc’s first assembly held in Lanao del Sur

May 7, 2024 | 8:38 pm

United Bangsamoro Justice Party of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front — LOCAL executives were among those who pledged allegiance to the United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP) of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) during its first general assembly in Lanao del Sur on Monday. — PHILIPPINE STAR/JOHN FELIX M. UNSON

COTABATO CITY — Thousands participated in the first ever general assembly of the United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP) of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Lanao del Sur on Monday, during which a number of local executives pledged allegiance to the group.

Radio reports here on Tuesday stated that no fewer than 30,000 Maranaos from across Lanao del Sur participated in the sortie, held in Poona Bayabao.

The assembly was initiated by senior MILF officials, among them the chairman of its central committee, Ahod Balawag Ebrahim, the appointed chief minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Regional Parliament Member Kadil Monera Sinolinding, Jr., and BARMM’s education minister, Muhaquer Mohammad Iqbal.

The activity of the UBJP was part of the MILF’s initial preparations for the first ever BARMM parliamentary elections in May next year, which is simultaneous with the municipal, city, provincial and senatorial elections.

The MILF has 41 representatives, comprising a majority bloc, in the 80-member BARMM parliament, also known as the Bangsamoro Transition Authority, functioning as presidential appointees, not as elected regional lawmakers.

Mr. Ebrahim, in a message during the Poona Bayabao UBJP gathering, said they appreciate the continuing support of southern communities to their political party, launched only about four years ago, and called on Moro sectors to unite and together keep the gains of the peace process between the government and the MILF.

Mr. Ebrahim also emphasized that the creation of BARMM via a plebiscite in 2019, replacing the then 27-year Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao that has lesser political and administrative powers, was an outcome of the peace talks between Malacañang and the MILF that lasted for about two decades, sealed with a final compact, the Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro, in 2014. — John Felix M. Unson

Sharks Billiards Association to ‘revive’ pool action in PHL

May 7, 2024 | 6:37 pm

THE Philippines, which once served as the mecca of pool, is now home to the country’s first-ever professional billiards league.

With hopes of reviving the long-dormant pool action in the country and further exposing Filipino players to top-level play, founder Hadley Mariano, son of the industry’s icon Perry, has launched the Sharks Billiards Association (SBA) with Chino Trinidad serving as commissioner.

In partnership with the Games and Amusements Board (GAB), the SBA will field four pioneering teams this season with five players each from the draft pool of over 100 players.

Teams, with partnerships from cities and provinces for a regional taste, will be unveiled before next month before the draft, where anyone with a pro GAB license, including national team players, is eligible to join.

Teams will duke it out in a nine-ball play albeit under a still-to-be-announced format.

Only local players may join the inaugural season but the SBA is open to including foreign and guest ones for the next seasons to come featuring at least 20 to 30 teams.

The SBA will also require one grassroot or homegrown player from each city partner of the teams to champion the growth of the sport, where the Filipinos are considered one of the best — if not the best.

As a pro league, uniformed salaries for a staple livelihood from here on will be implemented by team owners but there’s more to it than that as the SBA is out to erase the sport’s stigma for money game alone with pride and honor at stake.

“This is a dream as the world’s first and only pro league” said Mr. Trinidad, a former basketball commissioner.

From the legends of Efren “Bata” Reyes and Francisco “Django” Bustamante to current world 10-ball champion Carlo Biado, it’s only a matter of time for the Philippines to produce another one and SBA is here to make that happen sooner than later. — John Bryan Ulanday

DLSU eyes third straight PBA D-League crown vs CEU

May 7, 2024 | 6:36 pm

Game Thursday
(Ynares Sports Arena)
7:30 p.m. — EcoOil-La Salle vs CEU

REIGNING champion EcoOil-De La Salle University (DLSU) overwhelmed challenger Centro Escolar University (CEU) in Game 1 of the best-of-three finals, 98-72, to zero in on a third straight championship in the 2024 PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup on Thursday at the Ynares Sports Arena.

Without Abdul-Wahab Olusesi for the Scorpions, Henry Agunanne and Jonnel Policarpio dominated inside with 17 points each as the unbeaten Green Archers drew first blood with a bang in the short race-to-two showdown.

Mr. Olusesi, the defensive anchor of CEU in its stellar finals run, missed the opener due to a left knee sprain that he suffered in the Scorpions’ 78-56 Game 3 win in the semifinals against Marinerong Pilipino-San Beda University to advance.

“CEU was riding on a lot of momentum. Beating San Beda is such a huge achievement for their program so I told the players that CEU will be coming out with a lot of confidence with or without Mr. Olusesi,” said assistant coach Gian Nazaro on their eight win in as many games.

“We have to be prepared against them and I think from the start,”

De La Salle, also kings of the UAAP, waxed hot early with a 23-9 start and even led by as many as 39 points en route to a lopsided 26-point win.

JC Macalalag (13, Raven Cortez (10) and EJ Gollena (10) threw in contributions for the Green Archers, who have a chance to become the second winningest franchise in D-League history with a three-peat.

NLEX, now in the PBA, owned the distinction so far with six D-League titles, including four straight in the early 2010s.

Daniel Marcelo, Dave Bernabe and Gabrielle Dan Gamboa fired 10 points apiece but De La Salle still proved too strong for CEU in the tough defeat. — John Bryan Ulanday

The Scores:

EcoOil-La Salle 98 – Agunanne 17, Policarpio 17, Macalalag 13, Cortez 10, Gollena 10, Austria 6, Phillips 6, David 5, Alian 4, Abadam 3, Rubico 3, Gaspay 2, Buensalida 2, Marasigan 0, Romero 0.

CEU 72 – Marcelo 10, Bernabe 10, Gamboa 10, Darbin 8, Serrano 8, Santos 6, Malicana 6, Diaz 5, De Guzman 4, Guevarra 4, Benitez 1, Puray 0, Mendoza 0.

Quartescores: 23-9, 54-28, 79-45, 98-72.