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US lawmaker raises concerns on human rights under Duterte

A US SENATOR on Wednesday raised concerns about the human rights situation under Philippine President Rodrigo R. Duterte during a virtual meeting with the country’s representatives.

US Senate Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin raised concerns about extrajudicial killings in the country’s drug war, the harassment of journalists and jailing of opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima, he said in a statement posted on his website.

The American lawmaker said he met with Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. and Philippine Ambassador Jose Manuel G. Romualdez to discuss US-Philippine cooperation.

“I reassured Philippine Foreign Minister Locsin and Ambassador Romualdez that the United States recognizes the importance of cooperation with the Philippines to bolster security in the region, but it will not be at the exclusion of the country’s human rights record,” Mr. Durbin said.

In July, Mr. Durbin and other Senate democrats wrote Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken asking about the Biden administration’s strategy to address the Duterte government’s alleged human rights violations.

Last year, Mr. Durbin, Senator Edward J. Markey and others passed a resolution criticizing the Duterte government’s troubling human rights record and called for the release of Ms. De Lima, who is under trial for drug trafficking charges.

Meanwhile Ms. De Lima on Wednesday accepted her nomination by Liberal Party as one of its senatorial candidates.

“We will make sure the voice of the real opposition is heard in 2022,” she said in a statement, adding that prison and persecution had not limited her fight against Mr. Duterte. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan

Support for Duterte VP bid declines in latest Pulse Asia poll

VOTER preference for Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio and her father President Rodrigo R. Duterte in the 2022 elections declined in the latest poll by Pulse Asia Research, Inc.

Support for Ms. Carpio’s potential presidential bid fell by eight points to 20% in September, while for Mr. Duterte’s vice-presidential bid decreased by four points to 14%.

Ms. Carpio, who is believed to be seeking the presidency next year, remained the top bet, with 20% of Filipinos expressing support for her. Her father, who flip-flopped in his 2016 presidential candidacy, has said he would run for vice-president.

“For voters, the fact that both of them are running is a bit too much,” Jean Encinas-Franco, a political science professor at the University of the Philippines, said by telephone.

She said declining support for Mr. Duterte’s vice-presidential ambition was expected. “Voters find it too much for him to run for vice-president.”

A Social Weather Stations poll in June showed that six of 10 Filipinos thought Mr. Duterte’s vice-presidential run would be illegal.

Controversies faced by the Duterte administration including alleged anomalies in its pandemic response had likely contributed to the decline in support for her daughter, said Cleve V. Arguelles, a political science lecturer from De La Salle University.

“A potential Duterte-Duterte tandem worries our voters,” he said in a Facebook Messenger chat. “The Duterte name has always been part of the appeal of Mayor Sara but it may become a liability for his candidacy if the Duterte administration continues to face controversies.”

Ms. Carpio was followed by Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr., with 15% of Filipinos saying they would choose him as their President.

The son of the late dictator virtually tied with Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko” Domagoso (13%) and Senator and boxing champion Emmanuel “Manny” D. Pacquiao (12%). 

They were followed by Senator Grace Poe-Llamanzares (9%), Vice-President Maria Leonor “Leni” G. Robredo (8%), Senator Panfilo M. Lacson (6%), Senator Alan Peter S. Cayetano (4%) and Senator Christopher Lawrence T. Go (3%).

Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III was the top pick for vice-president, with 25% of Filipinos supporting him.

He was followed by Mr. Duterte (14%), Mr. Domagoso (12%), Mr. Marcos (12%), Mr. Pacquiao (7%) and Mr. Go (7%).

Politicians will be filing their certificates of candidacy from Oct 1 to 8. Mr. Lacson was the first to announce his presidential ambition, with Mr. Sotto as his running mate. — Kyle Aristophere T Atienza

Comelec extends voter registration 

PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS

THE COMMISSION on Elections (Comelec) has agreed to extend voter registration from an original Sept. 30 deadline after lawmakers passed a bill seeking the extension. 

Local voters may register from Oct. 11 to 30, while Filipinos overseas may do so from Oct. 1 to 14, election spokesman James B. Jimenez told an online news briefing on Wednesday. 

The registration will temporarily stop when politicians file their certificates of candidacy from Oct 1 to 8. 

Registration will be from 8 a.m.. to 5 p.m. on Mondays to Fridays, except on the last day of registration on Oct. 30 which falls on a Saturday, at all Comelec offices and satellite registration sites in malls. 

Several senators thanked the Comelec for heeding the call of the public to extend the registration. 

Both the Senate and House of Representatives this week approved on third and final reading separate bills that seek to extend the registration period after the Comelec rejected the proposal. 

Senator Franklin M. Drilon had also asked his fellow senators to cut the election body’s budget if it refuses to heed their call. 

There had been 62 million registered Filipino voters as of Sept. 18, 5.4 million of whom were new, Comelec Director Elaiza David told a televised news briefing. 

The number has exceeded the commission’s expectation of 59 million registered voters and 4 million new registrants for the May 2022 elections. 

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed the country has 73.3 million qualified voters. — Bianca Angelica D. Añago 

At least P4.2B in DoH 2022 budget could be realigned for booster shots  

PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS

THE DEPARTMENT of Health (DoH) could realign P4.23 billion in its proposed 2022 budget to buy booster shots of coronavirus vaccines, according to a congressman.   

Cebu Rep. Vincent Franco D. Frasco, sponsor of the DoH budget, said during a House budget plenary hearing Tuesday evening that the agency could reallocate funds from its budget on maintenance and other operating expenses and low-impact programs.  

The DoH included P45.3 billion in unprogrammed funds for booster shots under the 2022 National Expenditure Program, which means the budget will only be utilized if the government earns enough revenue for it.    

The country’s Vaccine Expert Panel has yet to give a recommendation on the use of booster shots and how many doses will have to be procured.  

Marikina Rep. Stella Luz A. Quimbo suggested to consider realigning funds from programs with historically low utilization rates such as Health Systems Strengthening Program and Public Health Program.  

These programs in 2020 had a utilization rate from 40% to 65% but are proposed to get increases in next year’s budget.  

If realigned, the agency can generate P21.6 billion, according to the congresswoman.   

“Why do we force ourselves to increase programs that historically did not have their budgets fully utilized now that there is a pandemic and there are more urgent needs,” she said.    

Mr. Frasco explained that these programs had low utilization rates in 2020 due to restrictions brought by the pandemic.    

“The reason why they are still allocated with the same amount for next year is in the hope that there will be less restrictions with respect to COVID,” he said.   

Meanwhile, the DoH also requested for an additional P49 billion from Congress to fund benefits and other allowances of healthcare workers.  

Mr. Frasco said the agency would need a total of P51.2 billion for this. 

In a previous hearing, Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III said the DoH has no allocation for healthcare worker allowances next year as it was slashed by the Department of Budget and Management.  

Ms. Quimbo also questioned the “low” utilization of the agency’s funds for this year.   

“We give a huge budget (to the DoH) because there is a big need for public health, but we see that there are still a huge chunk (of the budget) that is left unspent based on the financial reports,” she said in Filipino.  

She also pointed out undisbursed funds amounting to P37 billion and P59 billion in 2019 and 2020, respectively.   

The DoH has so far obligated P168.3 billion and disbursed P94.26 billion or 38.1% of the agency’s P246.9 billion budget for this year, according to Mr. Frasco.   

He said bulk of the disbursement would usually occur starting September to October of the year.    

The DoH has a proposed P242.2-billion budget for next year, of which P19.67 billion is allotted specifically for pandemic response. — Russell Louis C. Ku 

Workers who contract COVID-19 may claim P10,000 cash aid from ECC  

WORKERS WHO have contracted the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) while physically reporting to work may now claim P10,000 cash assistance from the Employees’ Compensation Commission (ECC), while P15,000 is granted for death claims.   

“Many of those who got infected by the virus are workers who are now faced with financial burdens, on top of their health problems,” ECC Executive Director Stella Zipagan-Banawis said in a news release posted on Tuesday.   

The agency said COVID-19 was approved to be listed under the commission’s list of compensable diseases through a resolution approved in April this year.   

In an interview on Unang Balita on Wednesday, ECC Senior Information Officer Alvin B. Garcia said those who contracted the virus last year may also still claim their cash aid.  

Claims may be made through the Social Security System (SSS) for private sector workers and the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) for the public sector. — Bianca Angelica D. Añago  

Law needed to make COVID-19 vaccination mandatory  

PHILIPPINE STAR/MICHAEL VARCAS

JUSTICE SECRETARY Menardo I. Guevarra said a law is needed to make vaccination against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mandatory in the Philippines if penalties and sanctions will be used to enforce it.   

Mr. Guevarra, in a Viber group message to reporters on Wednesday, said while the President can exercise the state’s police power to make vaccination mandatory through the right of the state and its people to self-protection, “this power, especially if accompanied by penalties or sanctions to enforce obedience or compliance, must be exercised through the legislature.”   

He further explained that if there is no legislation, the executive branch may only use “moral suasion” to persuade the public to get vaccinated, such as “the grant of incentives.”   

In his televised public address Monday night, President Rodrigo R. Duterte said he is considering making vaccination against COVID-19 mandatory in the country, citing that such is legal “under the police power of the state.”   

In June, Mr. Duterte had also threatened to arrest people who refuse to get vaccinated, to which Mr. Guevarra said “there is no law as yet that compels vaccination against COVID-19, much less criminalizes not getting vaccinated.” — Bianca Angelica D. Añago  

Green groups ask Duterte to order immediate release of banned plastics list 

PHILSTAR

ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS have requested President Rodrigo R. Duterte to compel the National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC) to immediately release the list of products deemed environmentally-unacceptable.  

In a letter shared with reporters, seven environment groups including EcoWaste Coalition, Greenpeace Philippines and Oceana Philippines, named 10 single-use products which must be included in the list.  

These are: labo bags, bags including oxo-degradable plastics; cutlery; straws; stirrers; bottles, cups and plates; thin plastic take-out containers; styrofoam or polystyrene food containers; and sachet, packaging or multilayered products.  

“It has been twenty years since the passage of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act or RA (Republic Act) 9003. However, implementation still falls short,” the groups told the President in their letter.  

Under the RA 9003, the National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC) is required to prepare the non-environmentally acceptable products (NEAP) within a year of the law’s enactment and provide yearly updates.  

The environment groups said that the NSWMC’s mandate has been “long overdue,” adding that 96 local government units have urged the commission to release the NEAP list.  

So far, the NSWMC has come up with a resolution classifying plastic soft drink straws and stirrers as the first two products under the NEAP.  

The chairman of the NSWMC is Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy A. Cimatu, while Environment Undersecretary Benny D. Antiporda is the commission’s alternate chairman.  

In August, Mr. Antiporda said he has ordered the NSWMC and Solid Waste Management Division to publish the NEAP in two newspapers of national circulation.   

BusinessWorld reached out to the department for updates on the target date of the NEAP’s publication, but it has not yet replied as of press time. — Angelica Y. Yang 

DoLE considers temporary suspension of OFW deployment to Saudi Arabia  

PHILSTAR

THE LABOR department is considering a temporary suspension on the deployment of Filipino workers to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to compel its government to intervene in the repatriation of the two remaining Filipinos allegedly abused by a retired Saudi general.   

Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III “is weighing the options,” said Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) Information and Publication Service Director Raul M. Francia in a news briefing Wednesday.   

He added that the Labor chief “is giving more time for our POLO (Philippine Overseas Labor Office) and the diplomatic channels to convince the Saudi employer to turn over the remaining OFWs (overseas Filipino workers).”    

The cases of physical abuse and non-payment of salaries involving a retired general who is allegedly “a close ally of a Saudi Prince” were raised to the POLO in Saudi Arabia in 2018, wherein 16 OFWs were involved.   

Of the 16 OFWs, eight were repatriated before August this year, five on Sept. 1, and one on Tuesday. The remaining two are still at the residence of the retired general as of Wednesday. — Bianca Angelica D. Añago  

Congress ratifies bicameral report on easing adoption process 

PHILSTAR

THE BICAMERAL committee report on a bill seeking to expedite the country’s child adoption process was ratified by Congress late Tuesday.  

Under the final draft of the proposed Domestic Administrative Adoption and Alternative Child Care Act, the Inter Country Adoption Board will be reorganized into the National Authority for Child Care (NACC), which is envisioned to be a one-stop shop for alternative child care.  

Senator Pilar Juliana “Pia” S. Cayetano, who has an adopted son, said the bill puts in “the structure that would allow us to create a National Adoption Center that would oversee all the adoption and provide separate funding and personnel that would handle adoption.”  

The proposed measure also provides for administrative adoption, thereby removing the judicial process that has made legal adoption lengthy and costly.   

“According to statistics, only 60% of adoption cases in the country are finalized within one year to three years. Some cases take up to four years or longer. Families end up spending hundreds of thousands of pesos in these lengthy proceedings,” said Senator Ana Theresia “Risa” N. Hontiveros-Baraquel, who chaired the bicameral committee meeting. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan 

Upgraded Zamboanga airport ready for international operations 

DOTR

THE TRANSPORTATION department said Wednesday that the upgraded Zamboanga International Airport will soon cater to flights to and from Southeast Asian destinations. 

“The airport may start international flight expansion and kick off its international operations with the approval of Zamboanga-Kuala Lumpur flights by its Malaysian counterpart,” the department said in a statement.  

Transportation Secretary Arthur P. Tugade said the airport, with its upgraded terminal building, is now “ready” for international operations.  

“It has long been prepared for this,” he said.  

The department is also awaiting the proposal of Philippine Airlines, Inc. for an international flight accommodation with other neighboring countries.   

“Zamboanga International Airport development projects include the expansion of its runway, apron and taxiway,” Mr. Tugade said.  

Meanwhile, the department also announced Wednesday that its proposed P151.34-billion budget for 2022 has been approved by the House of Representatives plenary.  

The department said it previously presented before the House Committee on Appropriations that the railway sector was allotted the biggest portion or 98% of the total infrastructure budget for 2022.   

“Infrastructure projects, meanwhile, get an 88% share of the total capital outlays budget,” it said.  

Of the department’s 2022 proposed budget, P150.763 billion needs to be included in the 2022 General Appropriations Act, while P579.8 million are already covered by existing appropriations previously authorized by Congress, it noted. — Arjay L. Balinbin 

Gov’t to help transport, sell tomatoes from Cordillera 

CORDILLERA FB PAGE

THE DEPARTMENT of Agriculture (DA) will coordinate with local governments in the Cordillera Administrative Region to help transport and market the tomato harvest of farmers who have complained of oversupply and lack of buyers.   

The DA’s office in the highland region, in a statement on Wednesday, said two groups have already committed to buy some of the supply next week while the agency’s Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service will identify more markets.  

“For next week, DA-CAR has coordinated with Ateneo de Manila and the Rural Rising wherein they will be buying 1.5 metric tons (MT), and 4 MT of tomatoes, respectively,” it said.     

Ifugao Provincial Agriculturist Domingo B. Mariano said the tomatoes grown by Enza Aguinao, one of the affected farmers, were unsold as a result of the “non-arrival of buyers from the National Capital Region (NCR) and Central Luzon.”   

Mr. Mariano said the absence of buyers was due to the “no-vaccination, no entry” policy being observed across local borders.  

Diego Madino, a stall owner at the Nueva Vizcaya Agricultural Terminal (NVAT) said about six metric tons (MT) of tomatoes were dumped in Bambang, Nueva Vizcaya due to lack of buyers.     

“The prices of tomatoes have decreased from P40 to P10 for the past week,” NVAT said.      

According to the DA-CAR, a total of 71,653 MT of tomatoes worth P641,947 from Tinoc town in Ifugao were linked, delivered, and marketed to NCR this year. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave   

Grenade lobbed at CdO ancestral home of Rep. Rodriguez 

CONGRESS.GOV.PH

A GRENADE was lobbed at the residence of House Deputy Speaker Rufus B. Rodriguez in Cagayan de Oro (CdO) City on Wednesday, but it did not explode.      

“Lives were put at risk in the grenade attack at the ancestral residence of the Rodriguez family in Barangay Nazareth in Cagayan de Oro City earlier today,” Mr. Rodriguez said in a statement posted on his Twitter account.  

He told reporters that the grenade was thrown at around 1:12 a.m. by two unknown motorcycle-riding men. 

No one was harmed in the incident, which is now being investigated by local authorities.  

The incident comes days before the Oct. 1 start of filing of certificates of candidacy for the 2022 elections. — Russell Louis C. Ku 

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