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DoE releases draft circular allowing foreign ownership in hydrogen, ocean energy projects

REUTERS

THE Department of Energy (DoE) said it released a draft circular outlining proposed amendments to the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the renewable energy (RE) law, which will clear the way for foreign investment in these two segments.

The circular set the eligibility rules for parties interested in exploring, developing, and using hydropower and ocean energy resources, opening up service contracts for the two segments to foreigners alongside the rest of the RE industry, where foreign ownership rules have already been liberalized.

According to the draft circular, an applicant may be “a Filipino and/or foreign-owned corporation or association which is authorized by its articles or deed of incorporation” to engage in the exploration, development, and utilization of hydropower and ocean energy resources.

In November, Energy Secretary Raphael P.M. Lotilla signed a circular amending the IRR of the RE Act of 2008 to allow 100% foreign ownership in RE projects.

Foreign ownership of RE projects had previously been subject to the 40% limit specified in the Constitution.

The “appropriation of water direct from a natural source” had been reserved to “Filipino citizens or corporations or associations at least sixty percent (60%) of whose capital is owned by Filipinos.”

The draft circular requires members of joint venture or consortia to register as Philippine corporations under the Republic Act No. 11232 or the Revised Corporation Code of the Philippines.

Awarding of hydropower and ocean service contracts must be conducted via an open and competitive selection process. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera

Tim Cone named coach of Gilas Pilipinas for Asiad in Hangzhou

TIM CONE — PHILSTAR.COM/ERWIN CAGADAS

IT’S BACK to the Gilas Pilipinas bench and the Asian Games for multi-titled Tim Cone.

He may not have the luxury of time and manpower like he did with the Centennial Team in 1998, but Mr. Cone is upbeat he could put up a fighting squad for this latest mission come Sept. 23 in Hangzhou, China.

“We’ll do our best,” the two-time grand slam winner said yesterday when he was announced chief tactician of Gilas for the Asiad following Chot Reyes’ departure.

The plan is to bring back the PBA stalwarts from the FIBA World Cup crew such as June Mar Fajardo, Japeth Aguilar, Scottie Thompson, RR Pogoy and WC pool members Chris Newsome and Calvin Oftana. Then add naturalized players Justin Brownlee and Ange Kouame to the mix and fill up the slots left by Gilas stalwarts based in Japan and Korea like Dwight Ramos, Kai Sotto, Kiefer Ravena and Rhenz Abando with versatile players.

Mr. Cone, who will be assisted by Mr. Reyes’ deputies Jong Uichico and Josh Reyes and bring his own lieutenants Richard del Rosario and LA Tenorio, said he will form a team built around ball movement and defense.

“We’re going to be focused on ball movement and we’re going to be very defensive-oriented. I think that’s going to be our edge in the Asian Games,” said Mr. Cone.

“We’re really looking for guys who are two-way players; they can do some damage on the offense, but can also be great defenders.”

Mr. Cone has set a training start on Monday for a 12-man team with one or two practice players from Ginebra. A five to six-day camp at Inspire Academy is also in the pipeline prior to leaving for China for the campaign that starts with group games against Bahrain, Thailand and Jordan.

“That’s not an easy schedule but it’s doable. We’ll see how it goes. What’s our chances? If we’re playing the way we want to play, I don’t think there’s nobody we can’t beat,” he said.

“Especially with Justin (Brownlee) around. I have good faith in Justin. He makes people around him better and no matter who you surround him with, they’re going to play better than how they normally play. We’re not going out there to guarantee the gold but we have a chance and we’re going to fight for it.”

Ginebra Governor Alfrancis Chua and PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial were designated team manager and deputy team manager, respectively.

Mr. Cone’s appointment was formalized during a board meeting presided by PBA Chairman Ricky Vargas yesterday.

“The PBA is all in,” said Mr. Vargas.

He said it was a high-risk endeavor that the pro league is ready to take in the name of the country.

“If we fail, it’s a high risk. But when the board discussed it, we were single-minded about it. Kung hindi tayo kikilos, sino pa? The PBA has never been afraid to fail. The governors were saying we were not afraid when it was COVID and we’re not afraid today especially for a good cause which is the Philippine team,” said Mr. Vargas. — Olmin Leyba

Setter Jia de Guzman suits up for Japan’s V-League Division 1 team

PVL

JIA de Guzman, the undisputed best and most decorated setter in the country today, is going on an amazing journey in the Land of the Rising Sun where she gets to live her lifelong dream.

In news that has been whispered about and going around for months but never confirmed, Ms. De Guzman yesterday bared that she would suit up for Japan’s V-League Division 1 team Denso Airybees as an import.

The league’s seven-time Best Setter and four-time Finals MVP will have to leave a Creamline franchise she helped snare a league-record 12 straight podium finishes that included an unmatched six championships.

While parting was such sweet sorrow, the Cool Smashers were just happy Ms. De Guzman would get to fulfill her childhood goal of bringing her act to foreign soil.

“To say the least, our hearts are brimming with pride and excitement for Jia (de Guzman) as she embarks on this incredible journey to play for Denso Airybees,” said the proud club team in a statement.

Ms. De Guzman’s dream was not without some heart aches along the way as she was spurned in the Korean V-League where she ended up undrafted behind Petro Gazz’s MJ Philips, who was tabbed by the Gwangju Al Peppers, and later on F2 Logistics’ Iris Tolenada, who was a last-minute pickup by GX Caltex Seoul KIXX.

It turned out as a blessing in disguise as she ended up in the bigger, better Japanese league where she will join countrywoman and soon to be naturalized Japanese Jaja Santiago, who is with JT Marvelous. — Joey Villar

USA faces Germany, Serbia battles Canada in semis

FIBA.BASKETBALL

Games Friday
(MOA Arena)
4:45 p.m. — Serbia vs Canada
8:40 p.m. — USA vs Germany

FROM 32 of the planet’s top basketball country, the FIBA World Cup is now down to four nations.

But after tonight’s much-anticipated pair of knockout semifinal showdowns pitting the United States with Germany and Serbia against Canada before an expected sell-out crowd at the Mall of Asia Arena, it will just be down to two.

And the world is looking at the mighty Americans as heavy favorites to claim a spot in the gold medal match as they battle the unpredictable but dangerous Germans in the main offering at 8:40 p.m.

The Steve Kerr-mentored US side should ride the crest of its 100-63 annihilation of Italy Tuesday while Germany had to survive an upset-conscious Latvia and escaped with nail-biting 81-79 win Wednesday.

The Americans are eyeing their sixth gold here that would cap its redemption tour after a forgettable seventh-place finish in the last edition in China four years ago.

For the Germans, they will be gunning to match, if not improve on, their bronze finish 21 years ago.

The Shai Gilgeous-Alexander-powered Canadians, for their part, hope to write more history as they seek to slay the tall, rough-defending and sweet-shooting Serbians at 4:45 p.m.

“It’s going to be a challenge but we have a chance to make history,” said Canada coach Jordi Fernandez.

If the Canadian Road Warriors advance, it would ensure them a breakthrough medal here.

Already, Canada had already booked an outright spot to next year’s Paris Olympics whole ensuring them of their best finish in this quadrennial meet after finishing sixth twice in 1978 in Manila and 1982 in Colombia.

Interestingly, RJ Barrett, who teamed up with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in delivering the biggest blows and eliminating Luka Doncic and the Slovenians, 100-89, Wednesday, is looking forward to duel with former high school teammate at Montverde, Florida, Filip Petrusev.

“I watched a little bit of their game versus Lithuania and they really played well, played together,” said the New York Knicks star. “One of their players is my high school teammate, Filip Petrusev, so it’s gonna be fun.”

Stunning Serbia would be easier said than done as the Eagles should still be riding on the momentum of their 87-68 dismantling of Lithuania, which boast the distinction as the only team to have dealt the US’ only loss of the tournament.

The Atlanta Hawks’ Bogdan Bogdanovic should be one of the Serbians to watch after he dropped a masterful 21-point performance.

The prolific Mr. Bogdanovic has been the Eagles’ saving grace the whole tournament after their top player, reigning NBA champion and former two-time MVP Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, have skipped this tourney to rest. — Joey Villar

Alcaraz stops Zverev to set up semifinal of US Open champions

CARLOS ALCARAZ — REUTERS

NEW YORK — Carlos Alcaraz will take on Daniil Medvedev in a US Open semi-final featuring the last two Flushing Meadows champions after the world number one defeated a drained Alexander Zverev 6-3 6-2 6-4 on Wednesday.

There were questions about how prepared Mr. Zverev would be to face the energetic Mr. Alcaraz after playing the longest match of the tournament on Monday — a near five-hour, five-set marathon in punishing conditions against Jannik Sinner.

And while the 2020 US Open finalist showed up ready to fight his tank emptied quickly, the 12th seed unable to keep pace with Mr. Alcaraz as the defending champion stepped on the gas to pull away for a straightforward win.

Mr. Alcaraz had only four break point chances throughout the entire contest but made each one of them count against a player starting to hit top gear again after an ankle injury last year.

“I remember the last time I played him in Madrid,” Mr. Alcaraz said of the clash in May when Mr. Zverev lost tamely.

“I was sad about it because we’ve played big matches. Seeing him in the quarters of a Grand Slam again playing at his best, I’m so happy for him.

“He was struggling a lot, working really hard to come back at his best and finally we all see him showing his best tennis.”

Mr. Medvedev reached the last four by beating eighth seed Andrey Rublev 6-4 6-3 6-4 in stifling heat but by the time Mr. Alcaraz and Mr. Zverev appeared on Arthur Ashe for the late match much of the sting had been taken out of the brutal conditions.

Mr. Zverev, with his booming serve finding the mark, was able to keep pace with Mr. Alcaraz through the early part of the first set.

Mr. Alcaraz capitalized on his one break chance of the opener to go up 5-3 and then quickly held serve to take control.

As Mr. Zverev’s resistance dropped Alcaraz broke again early in second, delighting the crowd with some highlight reel shot-making and twirling his racquet like a baton.

“Of course, I’m playing to myself and to my team. But I try to make the people enjoy watching tennis,” Mr. Alcaraz said.

“Trying to do different shots that probably the crowd are not used to seeing in matches, drop shots, going to the net. I always say ‘put a smile’. I think people enjoy it as well.”

Another break to get in front 5-2 and a hold left Mr. Alcaraz with a big smile and Mr. Zverev calling for a medical time out.

He returned for the third set with a heavily strapped groin and fought on bravely until Mr. Alcaraz grabbed another late break before serving out for the win. — Reuters

Candid Ostapenko

Candor has long been one of Jelena Ostapenko’s traits, so it was no surprise to find her only too ready and willing to discuss her emphatic triumph against World Number One Iga Swiatek in the fourth round of the United States Open early this week. “I think the main thing is she doesn’t really like to play big hitters,” she said in the aftermath of her win against the defending champion. “She likes to have some time. When I play fast, aggressive and powerful, she’s a little bit in trouble.” And it was exactly how she treated every point — with speed, aggression, and power.

Not that Ostapenko was wrong in her assessment. After all, she has beaten Swiatek in all four of their encounters over the years, a distinction to which no other competitor on tour can lay claim. That said, magnanimity in victory has been the norm rather than the exception, and not simply because of good manners and right conduct. Considering the thin lines separating the great from the exceptional, it’s likewise prudent to refrain from providing locker room fodder to motivate the opposition.

To be sure, Ostapenko’s frankness works both ways. In her very next match, she again let fly with eyebrow-raising utterances. Three games into her quarterfinal round set-to against the surging Coco Gauff, for instance, she couldn’t help but shout, evidently to supporters in her box, “I’m retiring. I’m retiring. I don’t want to play anymore.” Needless to say, she struggled out of the gate, and wound up with a first set bagel that took a mere 20 minutes to complete. She would claim only two games thereafter, taking with her 38 unforced errors as she exited the tournament in disappointment.

The post-match presser featured more of Ostapenko speaking her mind. She railed against the scheduling, which, she contended, favored Gauff. Admittedly, she had a point, with her previous outing against Swiatek running into the early morning hours — traveling back to her hotel room from Flushing Meadows and the attendant unwinding included. The ensuing meeting in the afternoon yesterday meant relatively less time for her to recover. “Honestly, there were so many games where I had chances and I missed some … easy balls, and I think my concentration was not there compared to the other matches I played.”

Ostapenko will, no doubt, be able to find some pluses in her US Open campaign, her best since 2015, when she first trekked to New York for the final stop on the Grand Slam rota. In fact, outside of the Australian Open this year, her appearance in the Round of Eight is her best in any major event in half a decade. Clearly, she’s on the rise once more, and she has ample reason to be proud — and, on occasion, loud.

 

Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.

Marcos pushes action vs ‘dangerous use’ of coast guard in South China Sea

PCO.GOV.PH

PHILIPPINE President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. on Thursday urged his Southeast Asian counterparts to act on what he described as the dangerous use of coast guard and maritime militia vessels in the South China Sea, in a gathering attended by a Chinese official.

“We must oppose the dangerous use of coast guard and maritime militia vessels in the South China Sea,” he said at the 18th East Asia Summit attended by Chinese Premier Li Qiang, repeating what he said at the ASEAN Summit this week.

Mr. Marcos said the Philippines is also concerned “over illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, and the militarization of reclaimed features” in the waterway.

“We call on ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and our partners to harness our shared interests and rally us into taking joint action, guided by ASEAN centrality and universal multilateralism,” he said.

Earlier, Mr. Marcos told his fellow leaders that while the Philippines does not want to be involved in any violent conflict, it would not hesitate to stand up to foreign aggression.

“Let me be clear, we do not seek conflict,” he said at the 43rd ASEAN Summit retreat in Jakarta on Tuesday. “But it is our duty as citizens and as leaders to always rise and meet any challenge to our sovereignty, to our sovereign rights and our maritime jurisdiction in the South China Sea.”

“No country would expect any less. No country would do any less.”

Tensions between the Philippines and China have worsened after the Chinese Coast Guard, backed by its maritime militia and People’s Liberation Army vessels, fired water cannons to block Manila’s delivery of food and other supplies to a grounded ship at Second Thomas Shoal.

The incident has prompted various countries to issue statements of concerns, including the United States, which has increased its presence in the Indo-Pacific region amid China’s increasing assertiveness at sea.

On the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit on Wednesday, Mr. Marcos met with US Vice President Kamala Harris to discuss tensions in the South China Sea and the two countries’ security ties.

“The two leaders discussed the maritime security environment in the South China Sea and reviewed opportunities to enhance bilateral maritime cooperation, including alongside like-minded partners,” the White House said in a statement.

It said the US official also reaffirmed Washington’s “iron-clad alliance commitment” to the Philippines and reiterated the two countries’ role in keeping the Indo-Pacific region free and open.

At the ASEAN-US Summit on Wednesday, the Philippine leader said Washington is more than just a “longstanding, close and reliable” ally. “The US is also undeniably ASEAN’s partner in achieving our collective goals and aspirations as nations, both on the domestic and on the international fronts,” he said.

Mr. Marcos also recognized a joint statement among the US, Japan and South Korean that expressed support for a free and open international order based on the rule of law, as well as their opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the Indo-Pacific waters and the militarization of reclaimed features in the South China Sea.

On Tuesday, he said tensions in the South China Sea are not just due to the worsening conflict between the US and China, a view that he said undermines the Philippines’ legitimate claims.

“The Philippines firmly rejects misleading narratives that frame the disputes in the South China Sea solely through the lens of strategic competition between two powerful countries,” he said.

Security in Southeast Asia and the whole Indo-Pacific region has been a major discussion among ASEAN countries, as they deal with the increasing tension between the US and China.

HUMAN RIGHTS
The US and its Asian and European allies have vowed to make the Indo-Pacific region “free and open” amid what they describe as authoritarian threats.

They are worried about China’s assertiveness in the South China Sea, which is believed to contain massive oil and gas deposits and through which billions of dollars of trade passes each year.

China claims the South China Sea almost in its entirety based on a 1940s map that a United Nations-backed tribunal said in 2016 was illegal.

China recently released a 2023 version of its standard map, featuring a 10-dash line. The Philippines, Vietnam, India and Taiwan have criticized the map.

The Philippines, which is considered a middle power, has been forging alliances with major Asian and western military powers under the Marcos administration as it tries to deter an increasingly belligerent China. It has also pursued closer ties with Australia, which has backed its 2016 legal victory.

On Friday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will visit the Philippines — the first visit by an Australian prime minister in two decades — to discuss ties in security, development and education, according to the presidential palace.

Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan in a statement accused the Australian official of tying economic cooperation with the broader agenda of drawing the Philippines closer into regional alliances led by the US.

“We are already at high risk due to the double threat of American and Chinese aggression,” it said. “We don’t want cooperation with other countries based on picking sides and bringing us closer to war.”

Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch on Sept. 6 said discussions between Mr. Marcos and Mr. Albanese would not be fruitful “without seriously discussing human rights.”

It urged Mr. Albanese to press the Philippine leader to cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in its investigation of his predecessor’s war on drugs that has killed thousands.

“The war on drugs that Marcos inherited from his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte continues, with almost 400 killings of suspects since taking office,” it said in a statement. “Widespread impunity for these killings and those under Duterte persists. The lack of domestic accountability has prompted the ICC to investigate allegations of crimes against humanity committed during the drug war, as well as earlier killings by then Mayor Duterte’s so-called Davao Death Squad.” — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

DND: Philippines has to boost defense spending

DVIDS/ LANCE CPL. ISAIAH CAMPBELL

THE PHILIPPINES must catch up with its regional peers in defense spending to strengthen its military capabilities amid increasing geopolitical tensions, the country’s Defense chief told congressmen on Thursday.

“A peso delayed now [means] you have to pay P3 in the next year,” Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilbert C. Teodoro told the House committee in appropriations. “There is a race among countries in terms of strengthening their capacities in defending their own territories.”

The Defense department has been allotted a P233.97-billion budget for next year. The Defense secretary’s office will get P1.26 billion, while the general headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines will get P14.91 billion.   

The Philippine Army was allotted P121.07 billion, the Philippine Navy will get P40.94 billion and the Philippine Air Force was earmarked P44.72 billion.

Party-list Rep. Raoul Danniel A. Manuel noted that the Defense department’s 2024 budget will increase by 12% compared with the 9.5% increase in the national budget.

Meanwhile, Mr. Teodoro said the agency allots a portion of its yearly budget to the maintenance of military bases under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) with the US. “Even though these are EDCA sites, we still continue to spend because these are Philippine bases,” he said.

Assistant Minority Leader and Party-list Rep. Arlene D. Brosas told the hearing P1 billion was tapped from the budget of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) modernization program to build the Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu.

Mr. Teodoro said the air base is a fuel depot that costs about P111 million ($2 million). It is one of the first five EDCA sites the Philippines gave access to the US in 2014.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. in February gave the US access to four more military bases, and has ruled out the use of Philippine military bases to launch offensives.

The Defense chief said the US also spends on these bases apart from the capability assistance it provides provided the Philippine military passes security assessments. “The Americans provide aide and logistics assistance.”

Mr. Teodoro noted that only nine EDCA sites will get assistance from the US, and all other strategic bases are “totally Filipino.”

“Isn’t this contrary to the US pronouncements that they will fund the improvement and building of facilities in EDCA sites?” Ms. Brosas asked.

“We really need to [spend],” the Defense secretary said. “If not, then we lose our independence.”

He also said he could detail spending on EDCA sites in a closed-door hearing. Mr. Teodoro said there are no American troops stationed at EDCA sites now.

Mr. Teodoro also said the US is not involved in the Philippines’ defense budget planning.

China in March accused the US of worsening tensions by boosting military deployment in the Asia-Pacific region. It has ignored a 2016 ruling by a United Nations-backed arbitration court that voided its claim to more than 80% of the South China Sea based on a 1940s map.

China has released a 2023 version of its standard map featuring a 10-dash line. The Philippines, Vietnam, India and Taiwan have criticized the map. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz

PhilHealth told to suspend premium payments given huge income

FREEPIK

A CONGRESSMAN on Wednesday asked state-run Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) to consider suspending its premium payments given its huge income.

“Can’t you temporarily suspend the collection of premiums from workers because the income of PhilHealth is very large, and until you show proof that you can effectively spend your money?” Marikina Rep. Stella Luz A. Quimbo told a committee on appropriations hearing.

The committee noted that the agency collected P68 billion from members, P22 billion from the government and P12.2 billion from investments.

Ms. Quimbo said a nurse with a salary of P40,000 would have to contribute P2,000 monthly or 24,000 yearly for health insurance.

She compared this with benefits from a health maintenance organization (HMO), which covers consultations, laboratories and diagnostics for out-patient care, hospital bills for in-patient care, patient financial services, executive check-ups, dental coverage, free consultations, disease and accident insurance and even free diamond peel and yoga classes.

PhilHealth President and Chief Executive Officer Emmanuel R. Ledesma, Jr. told congressmen when PhilHealth’s reserve fund, now at P336 billion, reaches P470 billion, “then we can either decrease the contribution or increase the benefit packages.”

He earlier said PhilHealth owes local hospitals about P27 billion, which it expects to pay in three months. 

The Commission on Audit (CoA) has said the pay of PhilHealth’s top executives almost tripled to P72.24 million in 2022 from P26.2 million in 2021. State auditors also flagged the agency for questionable payments worth P8.23 billion for COVID-19 tests from April 2020 to May 2022.

CoA also found that PhilHealth had rejected 949 reimbursement claims worth P110 million filed by the Philippine Heart Center last year.  

PhilHealth, an attached agency of the Department of Health (DoH), has a P101-billion budget for next year. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz

‘Alien’ projects in DPWH budget slammed

By Beatriz Marie D. Cruz, Reporter

ALBAY REPRESENTATIVE Edcel C. Lagman revealed on Thursday that “alien projects” have allegedly made their way into the 2024 National Expenditure Program (NEP) of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

Speaking at the House Appropriations Committee briefing on the proposed DPWH budget of over P822 billion for the coming year, Mr. Lagman said: “There are still some alien projects which creep into the NEP without having been validated by the respective district engineering offices of DPWH.”

Citing established standards that prescribe a funding ceiling on infrastructure projects per congressional district, Mr. Lagman questioned the case of alien projects which have exceeded this ceiling and may potentially overshadow priority projects.

He urged DPWH officials, led by Secretary Manuel M. Bonoan, to closely monitor these alien projects.

For his part, Mr. Bonoan said the DPWH had engaged in comprehensive coordination with members of Congress for project allocations and that even regional budget proposals are meticulously aligned with the DPWH’s core program as prioritized on the local level by congressional representatives.

The DPWH chief also acknowledged his agency’s submission to an “errata process” or a period of realignment to rectify any issues related to any alien projects being alluded to.

When asked of the cost of the number of the so-called alien projects found in the DPWH budget, Mr. Lagman said in a statement: “It is hard to quantify now. What is important is that the “alien projects” admittedly exist nationwide!”

Meanwhile, the DPWH affirmed that it has earmarked P150 million to complete a three-kilometer runway on an island in Palawan, a key location in the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) between the Philippines and the United States.

“With regard to the Balabac runway… for 2024 under the NEP, under the TIKAS (Tatag ng Imprastraktura para sa Kapayapaan at Seguridad) allocation… we have allocated the amount of P150M for [its] completion,” he said in reference to Phase 4 of the a runway and pier on Balabac Island, Palawan.

Namfrel: Release 2022 poll data

PHILSTAR FIEL PHTO

AN ELECTION watchdog on Wednesday urged the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to make public data generated by the automated election system during the 2022 elections after lawmakers called for a probe of alleged anomalies in the automated polls.

“The National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) believes that the issues raised are rooted in the non-transparent automated election system and the lack of transparency in its implementation,” Namfrel said in a statement.

Citing its own report of last year’s elections, the watchdog said it did not find any evidence that there were fabricated election results or anomalous election returns, but still called on the Comelec to “make publicly available the transmission logs of the three telecommunications service providers, as well as other automated election systems, generated election data.”

On Wednesday, House minority lawmakers filed a resolution calling for a probe of the alleged anomalies, citing assertions made by former Information and Communications Technology Secretary Eliseo M. Rio, Jr. who had said the elections might have been rigged since the votes were transmitted on one private internet protocol (IP) address.

Comelec Chairman George Erwin M. Garcia told a briefing on July 27 that the election body owned the IP address, adding that the election results were accurate. — John Victor D. Ordoñez

Smuggling in Bilibid still rampant

BUCOR

THE BUREAU of Corrections (BuCor) admitted on Thursday that inmates’ smuggling of contraband remains a major problem at the national penitentiary, citing the need to fast-track prison reforms.

During a Senate Justice and Human Rights Committee hearing, BuCor Director General Gregorio P. Catapang, Jr. said a total of 3,902 various types of contraband, including firearms, grenades, cigarettes, and illegal drugs were found and seized in the New Bilibid Prisons since assuming his post as prison chief last year.

“We at Bucor will continue to keep an eye on these types of contraband and search for places where inmates may hide illegal drugs,” Mr. Catapang said in Filipino.

Many of the country’s jails fail to meet the minimum standards set by the United Nations. Recently, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla reported that the BuCor had already released 4,124 inmates since he became justice chief to decongest and better sustain the national penitentiary. — John Victor D. Ordoñez