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Decriminalize libel, abortion to help decongest Philippine prisons, DoJ tells lawmakers

PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS

By Jomel R. Paguian

PHILIPPINE government prosecutors have asked lawmakers to decriminalize libel and abortion as part of state efforts to ease jail congestion.

“[This] is one of the things we are advocating for, but it is not our primary solution,” Department of Justice (DoJ) spokesman Jose Dominic F. Clavano IV told reporters on the sidelines of a jail decongestion summit in Manila on Wednesday.  “It is one of many.”

Decreasing jail admissions, reducing bail and expanding jail capacity have also been considered, he added.

Mr. Clavano said it is still up to Congress what to do. “It’s not up to us to decide. We will leave it up to them because they have a more holistic perspective.”

Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez told the summit the House of Representatives is considering the decriminalization of libel and abortion as part of a plan to review the Revised Penal Code. “The Revised Penal Code’s classification system, almost a century old, needs an overhaul,” he said in a speech.

Senate President Juan Miguel F. Zubiri told reporters the Senate would thoroughly study the merits of the proposal. About abortion, he said: “For me, all life is sacred at any moment of conception.”

The National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) said jail decongestion should not focus on the crimes of libel and abortion as a solution. Arrests and detentions have increased significantly due to the government’s deadly war on drugs and anti-insurgency program, it added.

“Perhaps the government could look into their cases, because many of these have been exposed as trumped-up and false,” NUPL-National Capital Region Secretary-General Kristina Conti said in a text message.

About 350,000 suspects were arrested in anti-illegal drugs operations under ex-President Rodrigo R. Duterte and 24,000 under President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., she added.

Lawmakers should consult the public about the decriminalization proposal, lawyer and policy analyst Michael Henry Ll. Yusingco said in a Facebook Messenger chat. “Enacting such measures will change our society for sure, so we must be sure that this is the direction we want to take.”

Seven of 10 Philippine detention facilities are overcrowded, with an average congestion rate of 386%, according to the Justice Sector Coordinating Council, which is made up of DoJ, the Supreme Court and Department of Interior and Local Government.

Increasing the evidence threshold for preliminary investigations, reducing bail and enacting a bill for the rehabilitation of drug offenders were all discussed at Wednesday’s jail summit.

Also among the proposed measures is the creation of a Department of Corrections and Penology that will unify the state’s corrections, jail and probation management systems.

“The Supreme Court is looking at revising the rules on criminal procedures to ensure that criminal cases are processed expeditiously from the beginning of the case to the end,” Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo told reporters. The overcrowding of prisoners in detention facilities is neither humane nor reformative, he added.

Treating prisoners humanely and appropriate developmental rehabilitation programs would reduce recidivism and promote good conduct inside jails, “giving them a chance for genuine reformation and a possible re-entry into society,” Interior Secretary Benjamin C. Abalos, Jr. said in a statement.

Philippine security council seeks funds to boost South China Sea presence

SCREENGRAB FROM PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD FACEBOOK PAGE

THE PHILIPPINES needs more funds to boost its defense capacity in the South China Sea, the National Security Council (NSC) told a House of Representatives committee on Wednesday amid the increasing presence of Chinese militia ships at Whitsun Reef.

“A big way forward actually is developing [our] capacity so that we develop a credible defense posture and our support to the government in the area,” NSC Assistant Director-General Francis Jude S. Lauchengco told the House special committee on the West Philippine Sea.

The committee asked the military to submit a “written concrete proposal” on the funding needed by the task force.

About 111 Chinese militia vessels were spotted at Whitsun Reef, which the Philippines calls Julian Felipe Reef, last month, according to Coast Guard spokesman Jay Tarriela.

The number of Chinese ships increased to 135 at the weekend, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said on Dec. 3.

Whitsun Reef is about 175 nautical miles (324 kilometers) west of Bataraza town on the island of Palawan. It is the largest reef among the Union Banks in the Spratly Islands, which the Philippines claims.

Deputy Minority Leader and Party-list Rep. France L. Castro said that Philippine vessels were delayed in reacting to the presence of Chinese ships in the area.

“It took a month before we reacted,” she said in Filipino. “Whether there are Chinese vessels there or not, let us be proactive, not reactive.”

China claims more than 80% of the South China Sea based on a 1940s map, which a United Nations-backed arbitration court voided in 2016.

The Philippines has been unable to enforce the ruling and has since filed hundreds of protests over what it calls encroachment and harassment by China’s coast guard and its vast fishing fleet.

Girard Mariano L. Lopez, a Filipino member of the Asian pro-democracy group Milk Tea Alliance, said Philippine strategies in handling disputes with China are ineffective.

“We have been very firm in our stance that the government has never actually done enough,” he told BusinessWorld in an interview in Taipei last week.

The Philippines has filed 129 diplomatic protests against China from July 2022 to Nov. 28. Sixty-two of these were filed this year, according to Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ma. Teresita C. Daza.

“Aside from just words and statements, it’s time that the Philippines actually invest, perhaps, some of their confidential funds and misplaced resources into things that actually matter,” said Mr. Lopez, who is a humanities student at the National Chengchi University in Taipei.

Vice-President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte-Carpio in October said people who oppose confidential funds oppose peace. “Whoever opposes peace is an enemy of the nation,” she added.

“Such resources would be better used to fortify our defenses of our seas, of our beautiful environment and corals within the West Philippine Sea, and helping our fisherfolk not get harassed everyday by the Chinese Coast Guard,” Mr. Lopez said, referring to areas of the South China Sea within the country’s exclusive economic zone.

He said there have been calls to “expel the Chinese ambassador in Manila for his heinous remarks indirectly threatening the 150,000 overseas Filipino workers in Taiwan. That was actually a very hot issue among Filipinos here.”

Chinese Ambassador to Manila Huang Xilian in April asked Manila to oppose Taiwan’s independence if the country “cares genuinely” about the OFWs living there. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz

Gov’t to refill climate fund with help of financing institutions

FLOODED communities and farmlands when the Ilog-Hilabangan River in Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental overflows. — DPWH

THE GOVERNMENT of Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. wants to replenish the climate fund for local governments with the help of multilateral financing institutions, including the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Finance Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno said on Tuesday.

“I think the idea is maybe really to replenish that fund from donors,” he told a news briefing on the sidelines of the United Nations climate conference in Dubai, based on a Palace statement. “There are some possible donors that we’ve talked to.”

Mr. Diokno said the P1-billion fund, which was institutionalized through a 2012 law that amended the Climate Change Act of 2009, “has not moved for a long time.”

The People’s Survival Fund Board, which he heads, recently approved P539 million worth of new climate adaptation projects. Projects that are typically supported by the fund include irrigation infrastructure, early warning and drainage systems and reforestation programs.

Mr. Diokno is in Dubai for the global climate conference or COP28, which started on Nov. 30 and will run until Dec. 12.

Delegates at the climate conference last week adopted a loss and damage fund, as several countries pledged millions of dollars to help developing nations cope with the climate crisis.

The World Bank will only have a temporary oversight over the fund, amid questions of its connections to the United States, which is among the world’s largest climate polluters.

The US has faced a backlash for contributing only $17.5 million to the fund, an amount described by many as “embarrassing” considering the size of its economy. It’s less than a fifth of the United Arab Emirates’ contribution and over a dozen times less than the European Union’s. 

Meanwhile the presidential palace said Canada would support the Philippines’ climate action projects until 2026 through its $5.3-billion international climate finance.

“The Philippine government and the United Nations Development Program are working in collaboration with Canada to reduce the climate finance gap through nature-based solution projects to be funded under a $5.3-billion climate finance commitment,” the Presidential Communications Office said in a separate statement.

It said Canada would boost its support for the Philippines in biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience with consideration for gender equality, citing Global Affairs Canada Climate Finance Executive Director Andrew Hurst.

Canada would continue to engage the Philippines both in climate finance and bilateral assistance program, it added. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

Israel-Hamas ceasefire sought

Toy soldiers, Hamas and Israel flags are seen in this illustration taken, Oct. 15, 2023. — REUTERS

SENATOR Robin Ferdinand C. Padilla has filed a resolution calling for a sustained ceasefire in war between Israel and Hamas militants and unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

A ceasefire would be the best measure to ensure civilians in Israel and Palestinian territories are protected, he said in Resolution 880, citing Amnesty International.

Israel launched a barrage of airstrikes in Gaza after Hamas militants backed by waves of rockets stormed from the blockaded Gaza Strip into nearby Israeli towns on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 Israelis.

It has deployed tens of thousands of its troops for a ground assault on the Palestinian enclave.

More than 15,000 people have died in the war, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.

Last month, the Philippines joined 144 nations in favoring a United Nations General Assembly resolution condemning Israeli settlements in Occupied Palestinian Territory including East Jerusalem and Syrian Golan. — John Victor D. Ordoñez

Agri damage from quake hits P2.5M

AGRICULTURAL damage from the magnitude 7.6 earthquake that jolted Surigao del Sur in southern Philippines has reached P2.5 million, according to a Department of Agriculture bulletin.

It said 72.4% of damage and loss mainly affected the fishery sector of the Caraga Region. They include damaged equipment of the agency’s laboratories, production facilities and stock lines from seaweed farms.

Farm structures accounted for 23.9% of the reported damage, followed by agricultural machinery and equipment at 3.7%.

The Agriculture department said its regional offices were coordinating with local governments and disaster offices to monitor the impact of the quake and help farmers and fishermen.

The earthquake occurred on Saturday, with a depth of 26 kilometers off the coast of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology earlier recorded 2,491 aftershocks. — Adrian H. Halili

More cops sent to guard MSU

FILIP ANDREJEVIC-UNSPLASH

COTABATO CITY — The Bangsamoro regional police on Tuesday deployed a company of law enforcers to secure the Mindanao State University (MSU) campus in Marawi City after a bombing incident that killed at least four people and hurt dozens more on Dec. 3.

Classes at MSU continue, the school administration said on Wednesday.

“We have enough personnel to secure the MSU campus,” Brigadier General Allan C. Nobleza, director of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, said. “The police, military and city government of Marawi and the administration of the governor of Lanao del Sur are on top of the situation. Classes can continue normally.” — John Felix M. Unson

Senate ratifies passport bill

DFA.GOV.PH

THE PHILIPPINE SENATE has ratified the bicameral conference committee report on a measure that seeks to streamline the passport application process.

At the Senate’s plenary session on Wednesday, Senator Maria Imelda “Imee” R. Marcos, who sponsored the proposed New Philippine Passport Act, said lawmakers deleted a clause giving senior citizens and persons with disabilities a 20% discount on application fees, as recommended by the Department of Foreign Affairs.

The reconciled version of Senate Bill 2001 and House Bill 6510 also increased the penalty for forgery and the improper use of travel documents to 15 years from the 12 years in prison.

The passport measure, which the Senate approved on final reading in September, will set up a watchlist of people who have been denied passports or have had their passports canceled, which would fast-track the approval process.

Senior citizens and migrant workers will be allowed to renew their passports virtually.

Meanwhile, the Senate also ratified the bicameral report on a bill that seeks to give senior citizens a P100,000 cash gift in three equal tranches.

Senior citizens will get the case even if they are not yet 100 years old. The law only allows senior citizens within a year of reaching 80, 90, or 100 years to receive cash gifts. — John Victor D. Ordoñez

Philippines posts ‘walking pneumonia’ case

BW FILE PHOTO

The Philippines has recorded four cases of mycoplasma pneumoniae, which has overwhelmed children’s hospitals in China, according to the Department of Health (DoH).

The four cases of the disease known as “walking pneumonia” were found among people with influenza-like illness as of Nov. 25, it said in a statement.  One case was recorded in January, one in July and two in September.

On Tuesday, Health Secretary Teodoro J. Herbosa said that there was no outbreak of walking pneumonia in the Philippines amid rising respiratory illness cases in China and other countries.

DoH said mycoplasma pneumoniae is not a new pathogen and had been detected in the country.

Health Undersecretary Eric Tayag earlier said there have been no recorded walking pneumonia cases in the country because there is no routine testing for the disease. He said the bacteria is 90% to 95% drug-resistant in China.

The disease is a common bacterial infection that usually affects younger children and is treated by antibiotics, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

Defense program bill passed

PHILIPPINE STAR/EDD GUMBAN

Philippine senators on Wednesday approved on second reading a bill that seeks to revitalize the country’s defense program and encourage businesses to invest in local defense equipment.

Senate Bill 2455 will task the Department of National Defense to craft a self-reliant defense posture program that will encourage manufacturers to produce defense and weapon systems in the Philippines and promote their exports to other countries.

Under the measure the Defense department will be allotted P1 billion as seed money to finance the program.

“It is imperative to revitalize the country’s self-reliance defense posture program and to fully harness the potential of the defense industry at a time when security threats are imminent and continue to evolve,” according to a copy of the bill. — John Victor D. Ordonez

Shares go down on profit taking, lack of drivers

The lobby of the Philippine Stock Exchange in Taguig City, Sept. 30, 2020. — REUTERS

PHILIPPINE SHARES closed lower on Wednesday as investors pocketed their profits after the market’s three-day rally amid a lack of fresh leads and as the country’s outstanding debt reached another record high.

The bellwether Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) dropped by 3.10 points or 0.04% to finish at 6,305.85 on Wednesday, while the broader all shares index inched down by 0.36 point or 0.01% to close at 3,351.66.

“The local bourse declined by 3.10 points to 6,305.85 as investors booked some gains after the three consecutive days of market rally. In addition, the national government’s outstanding debt, which reached a record of P14.48 trillion as of end-October, somehow weighed on sentiment,” Philstocks Financial, Inc. Research Analyst Claire T. Alviar said in a Viber message.

The National Government’s outstanding debt went up by 1.49% from P14.27 trillion as of end-September, data from the Bureau of the Treasury showed.

Year on year, the debt stock rose by 6.16% from P13.64 trillion. It also increased by 7.91% from P13.42 trillion at the end of December 2022.

“Philippine shares closed almost flat, with investors trying to get more cues from overseas that the world’s largest economy is still on an uninterrupted path to recovery,” Regina Capital Development Corp. Head of Sales Luis A. Limlingan said in a Viber message.

“Despite the losses in the US [overnight], the past five weeks of consecutive gains means that all three stock indexes are still on track to end the quarter and year with big gains,” he added.

Wall Street finished mixed on Tuesday after fresh employment data bolstered bets that the US Federal Reserve will cut interest rates as soon as March, Reuters reported.

The S&P 500 declined 0.06% to end the session at 4,567.18 points.

The Nasdaq gained 0.31% to 14,229.91 points, while Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.22% to 36,124.56 points.

“The stock market is down as 6,300 is proving to be a tough resistance. The market awaits more catalyst for 6,399 to become new support,” First Metro Investment Corp. Head of Research Cristina S. Ulang said in a Viber message.

The majority of sectoral indices closed lower on Wednesday. Financials declined by 15.63 points or 0.89% to 1,732.20; mining and oil retreated by 64.22 points or 0.65% to 9,688.55; industrials went down by 25.22 points or 0.28% to 8,803.83; and property dropped by 7.66 points or 0.27% to 2,758.22.

Meanwhile, services climbed by 14.38 points or 0.92% to 1,562.69, and holding firms rose by 17.33 points or 0.29% to 5,977.67. 

Value turnover rose to P5.67 billion on Wednesday with 345.22 million issues changing hands from the P4.01 billion with 622.4 million issues seen on Tuesday.

Decliners outnumbered advancers, 92 versus 79, while 50 names closed unchanged.

Net foreign buying stood at P378.57 million on Wednesday versus the P182.43 million in net selling logged on Tuesday. — R.M.D. Ochave with Reuters

Peso strengthens further vs dollar

BW FILE PHOTO

THE PESO hit a new four-month high against the dollar on Wednesday after inflation eased to a 20-month low in November and amid weakening global prospects as China’s credit rating outlook was downgraded.

The local unit closed at P55.305 per dollar on Wednesday, strengthening by 1.5 centavos from its P55.32 finish on Tuesday, based on Bankers Association of the Philippines data.

This was the peso’s strongest close since its P55.19 per dollar finish on Aug. 2.

The peso opened Wednesday’s session stronger at P55.30 against the dollar. Its intraday best was at P55.295, while its weakest showing was at P55.36 versus the greenback.

Dollars exchanged went down to $1.03 billion on Wednesday from $1.35 billion on Tuesday.

The peso continued to be supported by easing inflation, as well as lower global crude oil prices, Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. Chief Economist Michael L. Ricafort said in a Viber message.

Headline inflation slowed to 4.1% in November from 4.9% in October and 8% in the same period last year. This was within the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) 4-4.8% forecast and below the median estimate of 4.4% by 15 economists in a BusinessWorld poll conducted last week.

Year to date, inflation averaged 6.2%, faster than 5.6% in the same period last year.

The peso was also supported by weakening global sentiment after China’s credit outlook was downgraded by Moody’s Investors Service and softer US job openings data, a trader said in an e-mail.

The dollar was near a two-week high against a basket of currencies on Wednesday as investors assessed US economic data that showed a cooling labor market, while wagering the Federal Reserve will cut rates next year, Reuters reported.

The spotlight in Asia was on China, where the yuan extended losses as markets grappled with rating agency Moody’s cut to the Asian giant’s credit outlook.

The dollar index, which measures the US currency against six rivals, was 0.029% lower at 103.93, having climbed 0.3% overnight. The index is up 0.5% this month, after sliding 3% in November, its steepest monthly decline in a year.

Data on Tuesday showed US job openings fell to more than a 2-1/2-year low in October, the strongest sign yet that higher interest rates were dampening demand for workers. Data also showed there were 1.34 vacancies for every unemployed person in October, the lowest since August 2021.

For Thursday, the trader sees the peso moving between P55.20 and P55.45 per dollar, while Mr. Ricafort expects it to range from P55.20 to P55.45. — AMCS with Reuters

Senate OKs bill vs agri smugglers

The Philippine Senate on Wednesday approved on second reading a priority bill that seeks to impose harsher penalties on smugglers of agricultural products.

Senate Bill 2432 will lower the value of smuggled agriculture and fishery products to P1 million from P10 million for the act to be considered economic sabotage.

Violators face life imprisonment and a fine worth thrice the value of agricultural and fishery products that they smuggled.

Senator Cynthia A. Villar, the bill’s author and sponsor, earlier said the government has been losing at least P200 billion in revenue each year to smuggling. — John Victor D. Ordonez

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