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Spot power prices rise as quarantine eases

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THE average spot market price on the wholesale electricity spot market rose 12.65% in late March, following to a pickup in demand to levels exceeding forecasts after the loosening of quarantine restrictions, which offset the return to operations of some power generators.

Rates rose to P6.97 per kilowatt-hour as of March 25, from P6.19 at the end of February, the Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines (IEMOP) said at a virtual briefing on Thursday.

While the supply of power increased by 695 megawatts (MW).

“Demand also increased in March by 820 MW or 8.38% higher than the usage in February,” IEMOP Stakeholder Communications Specialist Danyella Santiago said.

The market operator said the rise in demand may be attributed to the easing of the quarantine setting to Alert Level 1 in Metro Manila starting March 1. Other provinces followed with more relaxed quarantine measures starting March 16.

“So far, the peak demand of the year was recorded on March 23 which amounted to around 13,749 MW; thereby surpassing the peak demand of the previous month which was 11,985 MW,” it said in a statement issued after the briefing.

The March demand peak was higher than demand in the same month before the pandemic.

Demand typically rises about 40% in the dry season, peaking in May.

The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines had forecast a peak demand of 12,387 MW for Luzon this year for the last week of May. The actual 2021 peak was 11,640 MW on May 28 that year.

Meanwhile, demand in the Visayas grid is expected to peak at 2,528 MW, up from 2,252 MW recorded on Dec. 13, 2021. Demand in the Mindanao grid is expected to peak at 2,223 MW, against the 2,144-MW peak on Aug. 4, 2021.

Asked about the suspension of secondary price caps, IEMOP Chief Operating Officer Robinson P. Descanzo said the market is waiting for an order from the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC).

“Until now, we don’t have an order for the market to suspend (the secondary price cap). Personally, I think there are other mechanisms that will allow the generators to at least recover their costs on the particular day or month,” he said.

Due to soaring oil and coal prices, power generators have asked the government to raise the P6.245 secondary price cap, which was imposed by the ERC to “protect the public and prevent the repetition of excessive and unreasonable high market prices.”

Mr. Descanzo said a suspension of the cap must be studied to find a resolution that allows generators to recover their costs while protecting consumers from any abrupt increase in prices. — Marielle C. Lucenio

HCL Technologies seeking to expand IT-BPM operations in Bacolod City 

REUTERS

HCL TECHNOLOGIES Philippines, Inc., an Information Technology and Business Process Management (IT-BPM) company, is planning to expand its operations in Bacolod City, according to the Board of Investments (BoI).

In a statement on Thursday, the BoI said it met with HCL Philippines officials on March 28 to discuss the company’s expansion plans. The BoI gave no details about the planned expansion.

“The company’s pilot project, which is expected to commence by the third quarter of this year, brings in additional investment into the country. It will also provide job opportunities and the company’s current labor pool with talent upskilling,” the BoI said.

According to the BoI, HCL Philippines services clients in the telecommunications, banking and financial services, utilities, retail, media, publishing and entertainment, healthcare and life sciences, technology and manufacturing, and logistics industries.

HCL Philippines is a unit of Indian IT company HCL Technologies.

“The Philippine offices specialize in customer care; technical support; clinical support; order provisioning back office; finance and accounting; service desk; application development and products support in seven languages: Filipino, Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, Thai, and English,” the BoI said.

The BoI has set a target of P1 trillion worth of approved investment registrations in 2022. In 2021, it took in P655.4 billion, well short of its P905-billion target.

The government is expecting more foreign investment following the easing of investment restrictions via amendments to the Public Service Act, Retail Trade Liberalization Act, and the Foreign Investments Act. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave 

Legislator calls on gov’t to issue investment priorities plan soon

PHILSTAR FILE PHOTO

THE continued delay in issuing the Strategic Investment Priorities Plan (SIPP) is not allowing Congress to exercise proper oversight over the implementation of the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) law, a senior House legislator said.

Ways and Means Committee Chairman and Albay Rep. Jose Ma. Clemente S. Salceda said in a statement that he hopes the SIPP is released soon to facilitate more investment in high-value fields like technology.

He said the Fiscal Incentives Review Board (FIRB) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) need to issue SIPP soon.

The SIPP is a key component of CREATE and identifies the industries that the government intends to support with fiscal incentives for investors.

“I am writing the DTI and the FIRB again since I gave an internal deadline of March 2022, before Ways and Means is forced to conduct oversight hearings,” Mr. Salceda said.

He said in December that the House tax panel cannot conduct its oversight function if the SIPP has not been released.

“Once you have that list, sectors with higher tech or higher value can upgrade to up to 17 years of incentives. For very large investments, they can get up to 40 years from the President.”

“We are working with the FIRB and the DTI to have a provisional SIPP issued, so that the industries we are sure we want can (start investing),” he added.

CREATE is the second package of the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program. It reduces the corporate income tax rate from 30% to 20%, and makes fiscal incentives more time-bound and performance-based.

Mr. Salceda also noted that plans for Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) to enter the Philippines will be key in digitalizing the Philippines.

SpaceX, controlled by billionaire Elon Musk, provides satellite broadband services capable of reaching remote communities. The DTI has said that SpaceX is currently conducting preliminary activities in preparation for entering the market.

“Fiber internet tends to be more expensive when you have to link thousands of islands, and for small island provinces like Catanduanes, Dinagat, Biliran, or Camiguin, fiber connections may not make commercial sense at all,” he said. — Jaspearl Emerald G. Tan

Incoming administration urged to broaden citizen participation in budgeting process

PEOPLE line up to receive financial aid in hard cash at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. — PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS

NONGOVERNMENT organizations pressing for more inclusive spending said the next government needs to encourage broader public participation in the budget process, noting the need to make the recovery effort more “equitable.”

The People’s Budget Coalition (PBC) said in a statement that the budgeting process needs to be more transparent, and called on Presidential candidates to commit to fund P1.2 trillion in measures designed to effect a recovery and shield the public from high fuel prices.

“We call on the candidates running for the highest positions of government to open up space for meaningful citizen participation in the national budget process.”

“We ask the next administration to correct the deadly blunders we see in the national budget and invest in P1.2 trillion for a just, equitable, and inclusive recovery,” it added.

The PBC last year also asked Congress to allocate P1.2 trillion or about one-fifth of the P5.024-trillion national budget for 2022 for programs addressing the public health crisis, such as cash aid during lockdowns and virus containment measures.

Only P118 billion or 10% of the P1.2-trillion recovery package it proposed was included in the approved 2022 budget, Zy-za Nadine Suzara of the PBC said at a virtual forum.

“Of the P118 billion included in the 2022 General Appropriations Act (GAA), only P69 billion — a measly 6% — of the coalition’s proposal was funded under the Programmed Appropriations of the 2022 GAA,” she said. “P49 billion or 4% of our proposal were parked under the Unprogrammed Appropriations and has no guaranteed funding.”

Ms. Suzara said politics “took precedence” over inclusive economic recovery, estimating the election-friendly measures designed to shore up politicians’ popularity at P292 billion, much of it in the budget of the Public Works department.

“Not only were the coalition’s proposals disregarded, but other socio-economic programs were delisted from the regular budgets of various agencies,” she said, noting that regular and more urgent programs were parked under unprogrammed appropriations. “These do not have guaranteed funding.”

The coalition said its proposed economic recovery package was equivalent to about one-third of the revenue the government is expected to collect this year.

Ms. Suzara said the next administration should strike a balance between human capital development and public infrastructure investment.

“Without which, it is difficult to imagine not only an inclusive and equitable society but more importantly, a competitive one,” she said.

The PBC also urged the government to collect major tax liabilities outstanding, including P23 billion in unpaid estate tax from the heirs of the late former President Ferdinand E. Marcos, whose son and namesake is running for President in the 2022 election.

The original P23-billion tax liability, which has been swelled by interest and penalties to more than P200 billion, can be used to fund social services. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

PHL-Norway 2021 trade grows 120.90% amid greater use of FTA

DFA

TWO-WAY TRADE between the Philippines and Norway grew 120.90% in 2021, mainly in the form of imports from Norway, as both sides made greater use of a free trade agreement (FTA), according to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). 

“Total trade between the Philippines and Norway recorded a growth rate of 19.53% and 120.90% in 2020 and 2021, respectively, despite the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic,” the DTI said in a statement on Thursday.

The DTI said exports to Norway increased by 36% and were valued at €7.8 million in 2021.

Imports from Norway rose 135% to €77.08 million in 2021.

Angelo Salvador M. Benedictos, Bureau of International Trade Relations director at the DTI, said during an event organized by the Philippines-Norway Business Council on March 30 that both sides took advantage of the Philippines’ 2018 trade agreement with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), a bloc of non-European Union counties which includes Norway.  

The other EFTA members are Switzerland, Iceland, and Liechtenstein.

“The Philippines foresees that these trade figures will continue to increase given the PH-EFTA FTA in place along with the promotion and cooperation activities to support the agreement,” the DTI said.

The trade deal was signed in 2016 and came into force on June 1, 2018, except for Iceland, where it took effect on Jan. 1, 2020.

Under the trade deal, the Philippines enjoys duty-free market access for all industrial and fisheries tariff lines. The Philippines also enjoys tariff concessions on agricultural exports to EFTA like frozen tuna and mackerel, canned pineapple, crude coconut oil, and fresh or dried banana.

According to Mr. Benedictos, the top Philippine products exported to Norway in 2020 were cooked pasta, crisp savory food products, biscuits, food preparations, soups and broths, peanut butter, mineral or aerated water, prepared and preserved fruit, sugar confectionery products, and garments.

Norwegian products that benefitted from the FTA include chemicals, fertilizer, fisheries and fishery products, and plastics.

“Norwegian businesses should look into investment opportunities in the Philippines, particularly in the manufacturing sector, following the passage of three economic reform laws — amendments to the Foreign Investments Act (FIA), the Retail Trade Liberalization Act (RTLA), and the Public Service Act (PSA),” Mr. Benedictos said. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave 

Pay P23-B estate tax now, Isko tells Marcos, Jr.

ISKO MORENO DOMAGOSO FB PAGE

MANILA Mayor and presidential candidate Francisco “Isko” M. Domagoso on Thursday challenged the son and namesake of the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos to pay billions of pesos of his family’s estate taxes.

“Pay the P23 billion now,” he said in a livestreamed video in Filipino, referring to the original tax assessment that his party claims has ballooned to P203 billion due to interest. “Where is it?” he asked, adding that the tax lawsuit had long been resolved.

“Pay it now,” the former matinee idol, whose rags to riches story has fascinated some Filipinos, said. “You have lots of money. Your original tax alone already amounts to P23 billion, the rest should be more,” he said, addressing former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr., who is also running for president this year.

“Be honest with yourself,” Mr. Domagoso said. “Anyway, that’s your problem, not mine. Someday, you would have to pay.”

President Rodrigo R. Duterte on Tuesday night asked why billions of pesos in taxes owed by the heirs of the late dictator remained unpaid.

“In our taxation, the government can only prod,” he said in a taped speech. “The Bureau of Internal Revenue is there. Let’s ask them why the estate tax is still unpaid.”

Both the country’s tax agency and a body formed in the 1980s to recover ill-gotten wealth of the dictator and his cronies this month confirmed the tax assessments, but did not say why these have not been paid.

The country’s tax agency had demanded payment of the taxes from Marcos estate administrators, Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III told reporters in a Viber message on Wednesday, citing the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

Internal Revenue Commissioner Caesar R. Dulay on March 14 said his office did send a written demand letter to the Marcos heirs on Dec. 2, 2021 regarding their tax liabilities.

The Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) separately said the tax agency in 1991 assessed the estate of Ferdinand Marcos P23.29 billion in estate taxes, P184.16 million in unpaid income taxes of Mr. Marcos and his wife Imelda for 1985 and 1986, and P20,410 in unpaid income taxes against the dictator for 1982 to 1985.   

In 1993, BIR levied and sold 11 Marcos properties in Tacloban after the family failed to file an administrative protest. The lots were awarded to the state in the absence of bidders, it said.   

The Supreme Court in 1997 denied a plea by Marcos, Jr. to void the levies as it ruled the tax assessments had become final and unappealable.

Mr. Marcos’s detractors including Mr. Domagoso have pressed his family to pay the taxes, which have supposedly ballooned to P203 billion due to interest and other penalties.

The Finance department has said the estate tax would be an additional revenue source for the government amid surging global oil prices.

Critics including retired Supreme Court Justice Antonio T. Carpio have been calling on the tax agency to file a criminal case against the Marcoses for refusing to pay the taxes.

Marcos, Jr., who is leading in presidential opinion polls, is running for president in tandem with Mr. Duterte’s daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio.

The President last year called Mr. Marcos a “weak leader” and a “spoiled child,” saying he is the reason why his political party did not form an alliance with his daughter. “I am not impressed by him.”

A rival political party earlier warned that the debt could get erased if the tax agency fails to collect the tax by June 30, in case Mr. Marcos wins the election.   

Government could no longer collect the estate taxes if Marcos, Jr. becomes president Mr. Carpio told the ABS-CBN News Channel on Thursday. He insists the Supreme Court decided in 1997 that the tax assessment had become final and executory.

“The president should be the No. 1 model for the country,” he said. “He’s the father of the nation. Government runs on taxes, its fuel. Without taxes, government cannot run.”

Mr. Carpio said the president must set an example. “Everybody’s saying now, ‘If he doesn’t pay, why should I?’ It has to be settled before the election date.”

The dictator stole as much as $10 billion (P521 billion) from the Filipino people, according to government estimates, earning him a Guinness World Record for the “greatest robbery of a government.” PCGG has recovered about P171 billion.

Meanwhile, founding members of the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), the political party of Mr. Marcos, endorsed Mr. Domagoso for president.

Abubakar Mangelen, who now heads a separate faction of the party, together with former Agrarian Reform Secretary John R. Castriciones issued a resolution for the endorsement. — Jaspearl Emerald G. Tan

Love children may inherit from their grandparents — SC

PHILSTAR FILE PHOTO

THE SUPREME COURT (SC) has allowed children to inherit from their grandparents and other direct ascendants regardless of their parents’ marital status.

In a statement on Thursday, the tribunal said it has revisited the “Iron Curtain” rule under the Civil Code, which barred love children from inheriting from their legitimate half-siblings and relatives of their parents.

It had not uploaded a copy of the ruling on its website.

“Peace within families cannot be encouraged by callously depriving some of their members of their inheritance,” the court said. “Such deprivation may even be the cause of antagonism and alienation that could have been otherwise avoided.”

The jurisprudence came from a case involving a woman who claimed to be the love child of a man who died before she was born. After her paternal grandfather died, she asserted her right to represent her late father in inheriting her grandfather’s estate.

Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F Leonen, who wrote the decision, said he used the terms “marital” and “nonmarital” instead of “legitimate” and “illegitimate,” which are pejorative.

The rule was called the Iron Curtain because of the perceived hostility between half-siblings.

Under the new jurisprudence, the grandchildren and other descendants, regardless of their birth status, will be given inheritance by right of representation. If anyone of them died, their inheritance will be divided equally to their heirs.

The High Court said love children may suffer consequences imposed by laws on parents who choose not to marry, mothers who got raped and a parent dying before marrying their partner.

“The court abandoned the presumption that nonmarital children are products of illicit relationships or that they are automatically placed in a hostile environment perpetrated by the marital family,” it added. — John Victor D. Ordoñez

Comelec may seek law vs candidates who skip debates

COMELEC FB PAGE

THE COMMISSION on Elections (Comelec) may push for a law that will punish presidential candidates who refuse to participate in national debates, according to a commissioner.

“After this election, maybe we can ask Congress to pass a law for organized presidential debates along with rules and punishments,” Election Commissioner George Erwin M. Garcia told an online news briefing in Filipino on Thursday.

He said it is difficult to sanction debate skippers in the absence of a law. “We are asking for help from our law department and I cannot add any more to the sanctions because there is no law for it.”

Former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr. was the only candidate among 10 who failed Comelec’s presidential debate this month. His running mate, Davao City Mayor and presidential daughter Sara Duterte-Carpio also skipped the vice-presidential debate.

“Whatever we impose may be questioned as unconstitutional,” Mr. Garcia, Mr. Marcos’s former lawyer, said.

Comelec earlier said it would bar candidates who snub its debates from live-streamed e-rallies on its Facebook page.

Vice-presidential candidate Walden F. Bello earlier called the decision a “weak sanction.” “We need stronger penalties for these people because this is so undemocratic that they are not here,” he said at the Comelec vice-presidential debate.

Comelec will hold its second presidential debate on April 3.

Comelec spokesman James B. Jimenez said next month’s debate would let candidates discuss topics in greater detail.

Candidates will be asked a general question per segment, and in each succeeding portion, the candidates will be divided into groups of three to debate on a topic, he told a news briefing.

Each presidential candidate would be given two minutes to answer each question and 60 seconds for their closing remarks, he added.

The next debate will focus on government accountability and domestic policy.

Mr. Garcia said the pending disqualification cases against Mr. Marcos would be resolved by mid- to late April.

Newly appointed Comelec Chairman Saidamen B. Pangurungan earlier said they would fast-track the decision on pending lawsuits.

“Some commissioners are on official business abroad,” Mr. Garcia said. “By next week, if the resolutions are available, we hope to sign all of them in one sitting.” — John Victor D. Ordoñez

Metro Manila to remain under Alert Level 1 

PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS

MANILA, the capital and nearby cities will remain under Alert Level 1 until April 15, according to the presidential palace. 

More than 60 areas on the main Luzon island and more than 80 areas in central Philippines would also be placed under the lowest coronavirus alert, palace spokesman Jose Martin M. Andanar said in a statement on Thursday.  

Almost 50 areas in southern Philippines would be placed under the first alert level, he added. 

Daily coronavirus infections in the Philippines were among the lowest among southeast Asian nations, Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III said on Tuesday night, citing figures from Our World in Data. 

The country, which remains at minimal risk from the coronavirus, posted a daily average of 389 infections on March 21 to 27, 24% lower than a week earlier. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza 

PHL remains on high alert as Taal Volcano again erupts on Thursday

ANOTHER phreatomagmatic burst — or an eruption brought about by interaction between magma and water — was recorded at the Taal Volcano on Thursday following four similar events over the weekend, according to the state volcanology agency. 

The Philippine Institute of Volcanoloy and Seismology (Phivolcs) said Thursday’s eruption took place at 10:39 a.m. at the volcano’s main crater.    

In the 24-hour period from 5 a.m. Wednesday, there was no volcanic earthquake recorded but Taal continued to emit plumes of up to 1,500 meters high, based on Phivolcs’ bulletin.  

Phivolcs Director Renato U. Solidum, Jr. said there is still no immediate possibility of an explosion on the scale of the Jan. 2020 eruption where emissions reached up to 16 kilometers high.  

“There was a big difference between the Jan. 2020 eruption and the current eruption,” Mr. Solidum said in an interview with One News on Thursday.  

“The possibility of having large explosions like the 2020 eruption is still there if magma at deeper levels… rise faster. But we do not see that possibility yet happening because the parameters that we record are not showing that sudden buildup of pressure,” he explained.  

The Phivolcs head said Taal is still at a “deflated” state, “not inflated because the inflation will be seen when there’s large volume of magma going up the volcano.” 

EVACUATION
More than 7,200 people have been affected since Saturday, including 4,165 evacuees, based on March 31 data from the national disaster management council.  

It said P1.23 million worth of assistance has so far been provided to those displaced from 18 villages in Batangas province.   

Taal, located about 100 kilometers south of the capital Manila, is one of the country’s most active volcanoes.  

The presidential palace said on Wednesday that all agencies and local government units are ready with further response measures should the Taal warning be raised to alert level 4 from the current 3.  

An alert level 3 means “magma is near or at the surface, and activity could lead to hazardous eruption in weeks,” according to Phivolcs’ warning system. 

Meanwhile, the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) said it inaugurated on Wednesday three new evacuation centers in three different Batangas municipalities, all located outside the Taal danger zone. 

Each center can accommodate at least 110 families or 440 individuals, while about 106 modular tents can fit inside, DHSUD said in a statement on Thursday.  

The centers’ facilities include an administrative office, storage room, kitchen and mess hall, children’s area, and clinic, among others.    

The department also said there are 1,123 temporary shelters available for families if they choose to move from evacuation centers when Phivolcs declares an alert level 4.  

These shelters are located in the towns of Ibaan and Talisay in Batangas, and Tiaong and Sariaya in the province of Quezon. — Marifi S. Jara and Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza  

Duterte slammed for harassing critics months before nat’l elections

PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS

A HUMAN rights group on Thursday warned that the spate of arrests and communist-tagging targeting opposition members could affect the integrity of the 2022 national elections, days after President Rodrigo R. Duterte again claimed that several progressive party-lists are part of the local Maoist movement. 

“With the recent spate of arbitrary arrests, harassment, and red-tagging targeting activists and the political opposition, we can only expect these attacks to worsen — and they threaten to undermine the integrity of our upcoming elections in May,” Karapatan Secretary General Cristina E. Palabay said in an e-mailed statement. 

Mr. Duterte said in a public address on Tuesday night that party-list groups under the Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives serve as “legal fronts” of the Communist Party of the Philippines, even if it has repeatedly denied the allegation. 

The President made the statement days after the government’s anti-communist task force linked Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” G. Robredo, who is running for president in the May polls, and other members of the opposition with the Maoist movement. 

“President Duterte’s blatant red-tagging of the Makabayan coalition and the NTF-ELCAC’s (National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict) schemes against VP Leni Robredo not only make it evident that red-tagging is a State policy: it also exposes the desperation of the Duterte administration,” Karapatan said, noting that the administration is now working “overtime” to defeat the opposition camp. 

Citing local reports, Karapatan said that a day before Ms. Robredo’s presidential campaign in a central Philippine province on March 29, at least 50 streamers accusing her of colluding with the communist movement were placed on trees and posts surrounding a government establishment.  

Karapatan also cited the arrests of social activists in the countryside amid the intensified campaign of the Philippine anti-communist task force. 

Meanwhile, political prisoners’ group Kapatid welcomed back community doctor Naty Castro after six weeks of imprisonment in Agusan del Sur, which critics said happened due to her advocacies and human rights works. 

“Her release is the offshoot of the growing pushback against the red-tagging and criminalization of human rights defenders and activists,” Kapatid said.  

“There is no way for the court to have ruled otherwise than to dismiss the charges of kidnapping against her because these are not only plainly ridiculous but also brazenly contemptuous of constitutionally and universally protected rights.” 

The group said the legal victory is the culmination of the tireless efforts of Ms. Naty’s supporters, whose efforts garnered significant media attention and developed into a groundswell of popular support against the anti-communist task force. 

A global human rights watchdog recently started a campaign to sanction human rights violators in the Philippines.   

The Magnitsky sanction campaign initiated by the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines seeks to impose travel and financial bans on government officials who abetted crimes against humanity. 

The campaign targets “architects” of Mr. Duterte’s war on drugs as well as his anti-insurgency campaign that critics said has facilitated the arrests of activists and other members of the opposition. 

In a statement on Thursday, Palace spokesman Jose Martin M. Andanar parroted authorities’ claims that the rights group’s agenda is “simply to name and shame the Philippines before the international community.” 

“It is baffling how it has come up with allegations of human rights violations of the Philippine government without validating the same with the appropriate authorities,” he said.  

Mr. Duterte’s drug war that has killed thousands has been criticized by domestic and international civic groups and rights watchdogs.  

The Philippine justice department said last year that there were irregularities surrounding the deaths of suspects in raids involving Mr. Duterte’s anti-illegal drug campaign. 

Alleged drug suspects in 52 cases neither fought back nor resisted arrest, contrary to police claims, with many of the cases lacking witnesses, the department said in a 21-page report, citing forensic evidence. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza 

Lacson not backing out of presidential race, says Atienza’s call to withdraw ‘rude’

LACSON SOTTO MEDIA BUREAU

PRESIDENTIAL aspirant Senator Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson, Sr. on Thursday said he is fighting to the end for his candidacy as he rejected the call of a rival’s vice-presidential bet for him to withdraw.   

“For the nth time, I will finish this race and I am not backing out. I reject the call of Rep. Jose Atienza for me to withdraw from the presidential race,” he told reporters, according to a transcript of his press briefing in Kalawit, Zamboanga del Norte. 

“What he did is uncalled for — rude, to say the least,” Mr. Lacson said. “Who is he to tell me to withdraw? He has no personality.” 

Mr. Atienza, a party-list solon, said on Thursday he was seriously considering his withdrawal from the May 9 elections to give his presidential candidate,  Senator Emmanuel “Manny” D. Pacquiao, Sr., a higher chance of winning by partnering with Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III, the running mate of Mr. Lacson.  

He then called on Mr. Lacson to do the same. 

“I’m praying and hoping (for) Ping (to back out). He already knows the realities of his political position,” Mr. Atienza said.   

Mr. Pacquiao has said that if his partner’s medical problem persists, he is not discounting the possibility of a Manny-Sotto alliance. 

However, the boxer-turned-politician acknowledged that such a scenario was still far-fetched.  

Mr. Sotto, meanwhile, told the media via Viber that he was “humbled and will certainly appreciate such a move,” referring to Mr. Atienza’s hint of endorsement.  

Mr. Lacson said while he felt insulted by Mr. Atienza’s comments as it was done without consultation, he noted his support for his running mate. 

“Anything that will boost his (Mr. Sotto’s) candidacy, I’m all for it. If anyone will adopt him as their vice-presidential candidate, so be it. I will welcome it because I know where he stands, I know where I stand,” he said. 

Meanwhile, Mr. Lacson said that attendance in rallies does not necessarily equate to votes on election day as some participants are simply paid to join campaign events.  

He said he himself has been approached by a certain operator asking if he was interested in increasing the number of people going to his rallies for a fee of P500 per person.  

“That’s the reality on the ground and most candidates know that,” Mr. Lacson said. “We cannot blame the people because they have to earn as they are coming from the pandemic.” 

Mr. Lacson said they are sticking to their campaign strategy that is more focused on sectoral dialogues and town hall meetings.  

“Whatever happens, our consolation would be that we contributed to correcting the culture of politics to make it issue-based and not politics of entertainment,” he added. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan

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