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DoJ junks murder raps vs cops in 2021 activist raid

PHILIPPINE STAR/WALTER BOLLOZOS

PHILIPPINE government prosecutors have cleared 17 cops in connection with the murder of a labor activist in a series of police raids where nine activists died in March 2021.

In a resolution dated Jan. 16, a panel of Department of Justice (DoJ) prosecutors found no probable cause against the police officers for the death of Emmanuel Asuncion.

“We lament the demise of Emmanuel Asuncion,” Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Rodan G. Parrocha said. “However, the complainant and the evidence she submitted failed to discharge the obligation to prove the existence of a crime and identify the perpetrators,” he added, referring to the wife of the slain labor activist.

The court said Liezel Asuncion had failed to see the faces of the cops who allegedly killed her husband.

The police raids were based on 24 search warrants issued by trial courts in Manila and Quezon City.

In 2021, an inter-agency task force of the DoJ formed 15 teams that probed extralegal killings and human rights violations in the Philippines.

Last year, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) filed a murder complaint against the 17 policemen allegedly involved in the raids and the killings of the other activists.

“There is no justice,” Renato M. Reyes, Jr., secretary general of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan tweeted in Filipino late Monday.

Defend Southern Tagalog in a separate statement said the acquittal reinforces the severe human rights violations by the government of ex-President Rodrigo R. Duterte.

“Asuncion’s killing serves as an example of how the people are deprived of great civic leaders and how the right to organize has been twisted and supplanted by the Philippine government,” it said.

Human rights abuses continued in the first six months of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s rule, Human Rights Watch said in a report last week.

The Philippines has accepted 200 recommendations from member-states of the United Nations Human Rights Council, including investigating extralegal killings and protecting journalists and activists.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla has said the government does not sanction attacks, harassment or intimidation of activists.

He said an inter-agency task force on extralegal killings had investigated at least 17,000 police officers.

The UN Human Rights Committee has said the Philippines should comply with international human rights mechanisms.

The Philippine Commission on Human Rights has said the government of Mr. Duterte had encouraged a culture of impunity by hindering independent inquiries and failing to prosecute erring cops involved in the government’s anti-illegal drug campaign. — John Victor D. Ordoñez

Philippine air transport regulator to hire contractor for traffic oversight

PHILIPPINE STAR/ MIGUEL DE GUZMAN

THE CIVIL Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) is looking to hire a contractor that will oversee the country’s air traffic after a New Year’s Day glitch that led to thousands of canceled flights.

“We need to provide stricter oversight,” CAAP Director-General Manuel Antonio L. Tamayo told a House of Representatives hearing on Wednesday.

He said he would meet with his Singaporean counterpart for best practices in air traffic management. “There is a company that provides oversight to them,” he said “It is external, so I was asking them if we could apply that system in our [country].”

CAAP also plans to upgrade and provide for a backup of the country’s air traffic system.

Mr. Tamayo said CAAP continues to train workers. “We have a rationalization plan in place. We are continuously training our technical personnel.”

He said the last onsite audit by the International Civil Aviation Organization for CAAP was in 2017. The next audit will take place this year after the 2020 review got canceled amid a coronavirus pandemic.

CAAP had bought two uninterruptible power supply units to prevent another malfunction, Mr. Tamayo said.

At the hearing, officials of the Cybercrime Investigation Coordinating Center told congressmen it needs P400 million to find out whether the Jan. 1 glitch involved a cyber-attack.

“We’re given sticks and stones to go to war [but] we’re doing it based on capability,” CICC Undersecretary Alexander K. Ramos said. “Give us the tools, maybe we can ride on something faster.”

Antipolo City Rep. Romeo M. Acop, who heads the House transportation committee, asked why the agency could not do its job well “because of a budget cut.”

Maria Victoria Castro, director of the Cybersecurity bureau of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), said its cyber-attack test would take six weeks. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz

Bureau of Customs seizures down 14% in 2022 

BUREAU OF CUSTOMS

THE BUREAU of Customs (BoC) confiscated smuggled goods worth P24.28 billion in 2022, down 14.6% year on year.

Last year’s total amount is lower than the P28.43 billion worth of goods seized in 2021.  

In a statement on Wednesday, the agency reported that it had a total of 709 seizures last year. 

These included illegal drugs worth P11.95 billion, counterfeit goods amounting to P7.69 billion, and agricultural products worth P1.87 billion. 

It also noted that 200 Letters of Authority, which provide basis for inspections, were implemented, of which 109 yielded positive results. 

Meanwhile, 193 alert orders were also issued, of which 120 were positive for violating customs laws, rules, and regulations. 

Almost all or 88.8% of high-risk shipments that resulted in the issuance of warrant and seizure and detention (WSD) were targeted shipments of the Risk Management Office for non-intrusive and physical inspection. 

“This is a result of the improved Risk Management System which the BoC has advanced to intensify its intelligence and enforcement capabilities,” the bureau said. 

The BoC also noted that all importations of agricultural commodities last year were identified as high-risk commodities, except those under the Super Green Lane category. 

Customs is targeting to raise P901.3 billion this year, 24.9% higher than its P721.5-billion goal for 2022. Last year, the agency collected a total of P862.9 billion.  

This year, it is expected to collect P570.3 billion in value-added tax (VAT) from imports, P207.4 billion in excise taxes, P105.1 billion in import duties and P18.5 billion in other fees. — Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson

Marcos: OFW presence in Middle East could drive Gulf investments

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. meets with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud in Malacañang in September 2022. — BONGBONG MARCOS TWITTER PAGE

THE STRONG presence of migrant Filipino workers in the Middle East could help the Philippines corner investments from Arab countries looking eastward for new ventures, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. said on Wednesday. 

The Philippines has strong ties with the Middle East and talks between them “always begins with the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs),” he said in an open forum at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, based on a press release from the Office of the Presidential Communications (PCO). 

Trade has also been an important element in discussions with Arab nations, said Mr. Marcos, who cited the spending plan of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries for the next few years, which the Palace described as “very expansive and aggressive.” 

“Trade becomes part of the discussion with Arab nations as the Philippines speaks about its planned sovereign wealth fund, President Marcos noted,” the Palace release read.

“Some of the examples that we’re looking at are the ones in the Middle East because they have been the ones that have been most successful,” Mr. Marcos was quoted as saying.

“The connections are there,” he added, “any opportunities that we will be given…(we) have to take full advantage of.” 

The country had a total of 1.83 million OFWs in 2021, about 24.4% of whom worked in Saudi Arabia and 14.4% worked in the United Arab Emirates.    

Kuwait was the fourth largest destination for OFWs at 5.9%. Qatar came sixth place at 4.8%. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza 

Filipinos trafficked as crypto scammers in Cambodia

SENATE.GOV.PH

FILIPINOS have been victimized into becoming online scammers by an alleged Chinese group operating in Cambodia, a senator reported on Wednesday.  

“Filipinos are becoming the main target of human trafficking syndicates,” Senator Ana Theresia “Risa” N. Hontiveros-Baraquel said in a statement.

“After we helped some Filipinos in Myanmar who were abused and forced to work as crypto scammers, we find out that this method also exists in Cambodia,” she added. “These fraud factories are part of a disturbing industry that has to be dismantled.” 

Ms. Hontiveros earlier reported that Chinese syndicates have been trafficking Filipinos to Myanmar to scam foreigners into putting money into fake crypto accounts. 

Some of the victims sought help from the senator’s office. 

The senator’s office was able to speak with one of the victims from Cambodia who said that they were promised customer service or call center jobs but ended up being forced to dupe citizens from the United States and Cambodia. 

“When we are not able to get a client, we are made to work for more than 16 hours, without sleep, seven days a week… I saw and heard that an employee was even electrocuted,” the victim said in Filipino through a video shared with the media.

A group of Filipinos to which the victim belonged was rescued Monday evening by Cambodian police authorities and the Philippine Embassy in Phnom Penh. However, they are currently being held at a police station without beds and basic necessities. 

“I trust that our Department of Foreign Affairs can bring our kababayans home as soon as possible,” Ms. Hontiveros said. 

“I also expect that we keep closely working with ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) member-states to strategize how to effectively put a lid on these criminal activities,” she added. 

The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines did not respond to a Viber message seeking comment on the alleged Chinese operators before the print deadline. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan

DoJ rejects Bantag’s motion to inhibit prosecutors from murder complaint  

BW FILE PHOTO

THE DEPARTMENT of Justice (DoJ) has rejected the motion of suspended Bureau of Corrections director Gerald Q. Bantag that sought the inhibition of the Justice secretary and DoJ prosecutors from his murder complaint over the death of a local broadcaster. 

In a resolution on Wednesday, a panel of DoJ prosecutors said it had jurisdiction over the murder case since the complaints were filed with the department.  

“It was clarified that the authority of the Ombudsman to prosecute cases involving public officers and employees before the regular courts does not conflict with the power of the regular prosecutors under the DoJ,” according to the resolution, citing a prior Supreme Court decision.   

The Justice department noted that the Ombudsman was not an exclusive authority but a “shared authority” in prosecuting murder complaints involving public officials.  

The DoJ cited an agreement it signed with the Ombudsman, which allowed the latter to endorse a complaint to any of the former’s prosecution offices.   

Mr. Bantag’s allegation of bias against the DoJ and Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla was just speculation, it added.  

Philippine police filed a murder complaint against the suspended prison chief in November for allegedly ordering the murder of radio journalist Percival C. Mabasa and a supposed middleman in the incident.  

The DoJ is currently conducting a preliminary investigation of the killing. A panel of government prosecutors and investigators is set to convene to resume the probe on Jan. 24.  

Mr. Bantag had denied his involvement in the murder, saying he had nothing to gain from it.  

The broadcaster’s YouTube channel, which had more than 200,000 subscribers, showed that he had been critical of former President Rodrigo R. Duterte and some sitting officials. — John Victor D. Ordoñez 

Bill mandates setting up an evacuation center in each town, city

DSWD REGION-II

A SENATOR has filed a bill that seeks to establish an evacuation center in every city and municipality in the Philippines.  

Senator Rafael “Raffy” T. Tulfo filed Senate Bill 1652 to mandate local governments to set up a facility that is adequately equipped to accommodate displaced residents during disaster and emergency situations.  

“When disaster and calamities strike, covered courts, gymnasiums, schools, and even churches serve as evacuation areas to shelter affected residents and families,” the senator said under the bill’s explanatory note.  

“These areas are jam-packed when the situation worsens,” he said. “Diseases, existing and unforeseen, may also spread because these areas do not meet standard measures for a proper and well-ventilated evacuation center.”  

The Philippines is vulnerable to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tropical cyclones, and floods, making it one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world, according to the World Bank.   

Under the bill, the location for every evacuation center will be identified by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in coordination with the local government unit (LGU).   

The LGU will be responsible for the operation, supervision, and management of evacuation centers. Local councils are mandated to establish the guidelines on the use of these facilities. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan

Starpay partners with Cavite town for business permit e-payment option

STARPAY Corp. has partnered with the town of General Mariano Alvarez in Cavite to provide an electronic payment option for the local government’s electronic business one-stop-shop.    

In a statement on Wednesday, Starpay said its partnership with the local government, along with Uplink Integrated Solution, Inc., allows business owners in General Mariano Alvarez, also referred to as GMA, to pay their license and other fees online.   

“We have been targeting users at the community level, to grow our client base. So far, the public has been very receptive because the platform is user-friendly and very convenient,” Starpay President Lamberto Scarella said.    

According to Starpay, business owners in GMA will receive their assessment via email, together with payment instructions, after the completion of online forms and submission of required documents.   

Starpay is also QRPH-compliant, which means it is part of the government’s Paleng-QR Ph initiative that aims to expand the country’s digital payment system through the inclusion of public market vendors and tricycle operators.   

The Paleng-QR program, led by the Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and the Department of Interior and Local Government, has so far been rolled out in the cities of Baguio, Davao, and Tagbilaran. 

Starpay is a licensed electronic money issuer, which is regulated by the BSP. The Starpay application can be downloaded from Google Play Store, Apple App Store, and Huawei App Gallery. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave 

600 former MILF combatants to avail of EU-funded tech-voc program  

OPAPRU

A EUROPEAN Union-funded program on technical-vocational skills development will cover 600 ex-armed members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) as part of the transition of former rebel camps into productive communities.  

The two-year training project, with a P252-million grant from the European Union (EU), is under the Programme on Assistance for Camp Transformation through Inclusion, Violence Prevention and Economic Empowerment (PROACTIVE), according to the Bangsamoro regional government.  

PROACTIVE is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the Bangsamoro region’s Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE).  

UNDP and the ministry signed the project agreement on Monday in Cotabato City.  

“The UNDP and MBHTE’s partnership primarily involve vocational skill development training and accreditation to pursue itself and richer environment for income source for the 600 decommissioned combatants,” UNDP Resident Representative Selva Ramachandran said during the signing ceremony.   

The training program, he said, will help in “creating enabling environment for sustainable employment and enterprise development.”  

“The participation and role of the EU are very crucial and one of the highlights of this engagement is the decommissioning of combatants of the MILF. We are very happy one of the interventions of the EU is the skills training for the decommissioned MILF combatants,” he added.  

MBHTE Minister Mohagher M. Iqbal said the Bangsamoro government’s engagement with the EU has been “very productive.” 

“We hope this partnership will continue until the exit agreement is signed between the Philippine Government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). In terms of governance and peace, we journey together between the EU and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao” said Mr. Iqbal, who also chairs the MILF Peace Implementing Panel.  

The decommissioning of MILF combatants is one of the key components of the peace process in the transitioning Bangsamoro region.  

In September last year, the third phase of the decommissioning was resumed, with a target of 14,000 MILF members. At that time, at least 7,200 have already been decommissioned, according to the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU).   

More than 19,345 MILF combatants have completed the process and 2,175 weapons have been permanently deactivated, based on OPAPRU data. — MSJ 

De Lima accuser backtracks, calls on courts to conduct fair trial

A FORMER official of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) has called for a fair trial on the remaining illegal drug cases against detained former Senator Leila M. De Lima, who has been imprisoned since 2017. 

Former PCSO board member Sandra M. Cam had accused Ms. De Lima of being involved in the illegal drug trade during her term as Justice secretary.  

“I had the realization that I was used as a tool for the imprisonment of Senator Leila De Lima,” the ex-PCSO official told a press conference in mixed Filipino and English, based on a video posted by DZRH radio on Twitter.  

“I have asked for her forgiveness and I have expressed my regret for my mistake.”  

The Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 42 on Monday cleared Ms. Cam and her son Marco Martin Cam of murder charges over the 2019 killing of Batuan, Masbate town Vice Mayor Charlie Yuson III, who was shot dead by unidentified individuals outside a house in Manila.  

Four witnesses have earlier taken back their allegations against Ms. De Lima’s involvement in the illegal drug trade.  

The former lawmaker, one of ex-President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s fiercest critics, has asserted her innocence saying she was being tried for criticizing the government’s deadly drug war.  

Last week, Human Rights Watch cited Ms. De Lima’s imprisonment as a sign of the prevalent human rights abuses in the country. It urged the Marcos government to drop what it called trumped-up charges against her. — John Victor D. Ordoñez 

Opposition solons call for House probe on kidnapping of development workers 

OPPOSITION lawmakers filed a resolution on Tuesday calling for a House probe on the abduction of two labor rights activists in Cebu last week, citing a potential “cover-up” in the ongoing investigation by law enforcement authorities 

The three-member Makabayan Bloc filed House Resolution 695 condemning the incident and urging the Committee on Human Rights to hold a separate inquiry on the kidnapping and alleged torture of Alliance of Concerned Teachers Region VII Union Coordinator Dyan Gumanao and Alliance of Health Workers-Cebu Coordinator Armand Dayoha. 

Deputy Minority Leader France L. Castro led the filing of the resolution, which was also signed by Assistant Minority Leader Arlene D. Brosas and Kabataan Party-list Raoul Danniel A. Manuel. 

Ms. Gumanao and Mr. Dayoha were found in Carmen, Cebu on Jan. 16, five days after their kidnapping. “They were blindfolded, handcuffed, driven in circles, detained, and interrogated in separate rooms,” the lawmakers said in the resolution. 

The lawmakers also called on the International Labor Organization High-Level Triparte Mission (ILO-HLM) “to investigate the worsening condition and treatment of trade unions in the Philippines.”  

The ILO-HIM team will be in the Philippines next week to look into the Philippines’ labor practices.   

“We also call on the House leadership and the chairperson of the House Committee on Human Rights to call for a hearing of this resolution,” Ms. Castro said.  

“We fear that the case might be whitewashed by those in power, like what they did with the murder of Manny Asuncion by police operatives,” Ms. Castro said.  

The Justice department recently cleared 17 policemen of murder charges on the death of labor leader Emmanuel “Manny’ Asuncion in 2021. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz 

US donates evidence containers to Palawan council fighting environmental crime 

THE UNITED States has donated evidence containers worth P1.6 million to the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) in support of activities against wildlife trafficking and environmental crime in one of the most biodiverse provinces in the Philippines.   

In a statement on Wednesday, the US Embassy said three evidence containers intended to properly retain confiscated contraband and evidence presented in the prosecution of perpetrators were handed over to the PCSD, an agency created in 1992 under Republic Act 7611 or the Strategic Environmental Plan for Palawan Act.  

“INL (Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs) is strongly committed to doing everything it can to disrupt the criminal networks behind wildlife trafficking,” INL Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Lisa Johnson said in the statement. “Building our partners’ capacity to investigate and prosecute environmental crimes is a priority for the US government.”  

PCSD Executive Director Niño Rey C. Estoya said the containers would ensure that cases will not be dismissed for technical reasons, as the storage units will improve the agency’s adherence to chain of custody requirements.  

INL has provided support for environmental justice in Palawan since 2019. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan

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