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Hacking of a senator’s card ‘immediately’ attended to

UNIONBANK of the Philippines, Inc. on Wednesday said they “immediately acted accordingly” to attend to the hacking incident involving a P1-million purchase using Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian’s credit card.

The lender also urged consumers to be more vigilant as scammers become more aggressive when holidays occur, saying Valentine’s Day will likely be the next attack season.

“We respect the senator’s privacy and we hold in trust the transaction that we can make between him and the bank. But this is what I can say — as soon as the bank was notified of the issue, we immediately acted accordingly, meaning, addressing the issue,” UnionBank Senior Executive Vice-President and Chief Technology and Operations Officer Henry Rhoel R. Aguda said in an online briefing on Wednesday.

“We have all the details and we have coordinated with the authorities. We won’t stop until they’re (hackers) held accountable,” Mr. Aguda said.

Mr. Gatchalian said on Twitter on Jan. 6 that his credit card had been hacked and was used to buy a total of P1.1 million worth of items in four separate transactions in Foodpanda.

The senator has called on lawmakers to look into credit card fraud and other cyber scams affecting consumers, saying he had received many messages saying the same scheme happened to them.

UnionBank said it have been ramping up efforts to educate consumers on how not to fall for scams.

“They (scammers) prey on people’s emotions and vulnerabilities,” Mr. Aguda said, citing how one scam last month had been disguised as a gift from the lender. He said customers who do not check URLs may fall for similar fraud schemes.

“Scammers are becoming more and more sophisticated. After Christmas, the next attack will be on Valentine’s day,” Mr. Aguda added. — L.W.T. Noble

Apple considering a foldable iPhone; minor changes planned for 2021 models

APPLE, INC. has begun early work on an iPhone with a foldable screen, a potential rival to similar devices from Samsung Electronics Co. and others, though it’s planning only minor changes for this year’s iPhone line.

The Cupertino, California-based company has developed prototype foldable screens for internal testing, but hasn’t solidified plans to actually launch a foldable iPhone. The development work hasn’t expanded beyond a display, meaning Apple doesn’t yet have full handset prototypes in its labs, according to a person familiar with the work, who asked not to be identified discussing private matters.

Like Samsung’s Galaxy Fold, the Motorola Razr reboot and other offerings from Chinese companies including Huawei Technologies Co., a foldable iPhone would let Apple make a device with a larger screen in a more pocketable package. Apple has internally discussed a number of foldable screen sizes, including one that unfolds to a similar size as the 6.7-inch display on the iPhone 12 Pro Max. Current foldable phones have screens that are from 6 and 8 inches unfolded.

The foldable Apple screens in testing, like those from Samsung, have a mostly invisible hinge with the electronics stationed behind the display, the person said. Other companies, including Microsoft Corp., have recently launched devices with visible hinges separating two distinct panels. An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment.

This would be a radical departure for Apple. Its pioneering touchable, all-screen smartphone is arguably the most successful consumer technology product in history, helping make Apple the world’s most valuable company. However, a foldable iPhone is likely years away or ultimately may never be introduced. The company is currently focused on launching its next-generation flagship iPhones and iPads later this year.

Apple isn’t planning major changes for this year’s iPhone line given the enhancements made to the smartphone in 2020, including 5G and new designs, according to people familiar with the situation. Inside Apple, engineers consider the next iPhones another “S” version of the device, the nomenclature typically given to new iPhones with minor upgrades.

The COVID-19 pandemic has also complicated product development, with Apple hardware engineers only working at the company’s Silicon Valley offices a few days a week and in limited numbers. That has meant offloading work to Apple’s engineers in China.

Last year, the pandemic delayed the iPhone 12’s release by several weeks, but Apple was able to still include nearly every intended feature except an accessory dubbed “AirTags” for locating physical items like backpacks and keys. The company now plans to launch that accessory this year, and it is planning multiple accessories for it including a leather keychain. Samsung announced a similar gizmo earlier this month.

Though overall changes will be minor, Apple is still testing a key upgrade for 2021: an in-screen fingerprint reader. This would add a new method for users to unlock their iPhone, going beyond a passcode and Face ID facial recognition. Apple started to move away from fingerprint sensors in 2017 with the launch of the iPhone X, but Touch ID has remained as a feature on Mac laptops and cheaper iPhones since then. Qualcomm Inc., which provides Apple with 5G modems, earlier this month announced a faster in-screen fingerprint sensor. 

The feature would be convenient in an environment where users wear masks, which are often incompatible with facial recognition. An in-screen fingerprint reader, which has also been featured on Android phones for several years, could also be quicker than Face ID for some users. Apple won’t remove its facial recognition scanner though as it’s still useful for augmented reality and camera features.

Apple has also discussed removing the charging port for some iPhone models in favor of wireless charging. The company moved to a magnetic MagSafe charging system with the iPhone 12, in addition to removing the charging brick from the iPhone box last year. It’s also bringing this charging technology back to the MacBook Pro.

For its tablet line, Apple is planning a new iPad Pro that looks similar to the current model but adds a MiniLED display and much faster processor. A thinner and lighter entry-level iPad that uses the same design as the 2019 iPad Air is also in the works. — Bloomberg

Dining In/Out (01/21/21)

Foodpanda kicks off 2021 with promos

TO KICK off 2021, foodpanda has three new promos: an P80 discount from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. using the code LUNCHDEAL (minimum order value of P399); a P50 discount using the code MERIENDEAL from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. (minimum order value of P250); and a P100 off of a minimum order of P499 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m using the code DINNERDEAL. Download the foodpanda app at www.foodpanda.ph. 

Welcome the Year of the Metal Ox with Lung Hin’s ‘Blissful Blessings’

MARCO Polo Ortigas Manila welcomes the Year of the Metal Ox during the Lunar New Year with its Signature Nian Gao series, which are available for advanced and large-volume orders. The nian gao (also known as tikoy) is a traditional symbol of prosperity and good luck at the beginning of the Lunar New Year. The hotel’s Cantonese restaurant Lung Hin will prepare these signature glutinous rice cakes for the season.  Lung Hin’s Signature Nian Gao are available in the following variants: The Double Gold Bar Nian Gao in Red Dates Sugar flavor (800 grams) at P2,118, and both the Red Dates Sugar Round Tikoy and the Fortune Orange Round Tikoy at P1,558 for every 600-gram box. Prices are inclusive of local taxes and applicable charges. Aside from placing direct orders at Lung Hin on Level 44 of Marco Polo Ortigas Manila, guests may also reserve their Signature Nian Gao via https://bit.ly/LungHinBlissfulBlessings. For more information, call 7720-7777 or e-mail restaurant.mnl@marcopolohotels.com.   

Popeyes brings the spice with new Cajun Rings

AFTER launching the US Spicy Chicken Sandwich that sold out hours after its release, Popeyes is all set to release another treat: Cajun Rings. These are crispy fried breaded onion rings with a hint of Cajun spice. It is available ala carte or as a side with Popeyes signature meals — Popeyes Chicken,  Chicken Tenders, and Burgers. Popeyes is offering a free upgrade of Cajun Fries to Cajun Rings when you buy any Popeyes meal. For a surprise, say “Put A Ring On It!” when ordering US Spicy Chicken Sandwich, the Chicken French Quarter, Fish Burger, Shrimp Burger, and Chicken Burger for dine-in or takeout. The new Cajun Rings is now available at Popeyes Arcovia City, Alabang Town Center, NU Mall of Asia, SM San Lazaro, SM Manila, Kroma Tower, SM Southmall, Ali Mall, Eastwood, Robinsons Place Galleria Ortigas, Robinsons Place Manila, Eton Centris, and SM Mall of Asia. It is also available for delivery or pick up via www.centraldelivery.ph and GrabFood.

Max’s All-You-Can is back

MAX’S Restaurant has announced the return of a long-standing tradition: Max’s All-You-Can. Last held in 2019, it’s back in 2021 as Max’s All-You-Can Weekends, offering more classic Max’s favorites to choose from, all in one plate. These are: Sarap-To-The-Bones Fried Chicken, Max’s Spicy Tofu, Chicken Sisig, and Chicken Lumpiang Shanghai. Each plate also comes with all the steamed white rice a customer could want.  Max’s All-You-Can Weekends is available for dine-in on Jan. 22-24, and Jan. 29-31 in all Max’s stores nationwide. Diners may feast for P499 per head. Full mechanics are available at bit.ly/MaxsAllYouCan. For further information, visit www.facebook.com/maxsrestaurant.

Crispy Fry names Luis Manzano as newest endorser

BREADING mix brand Crispy Fry has named actor and host Luis Manzano as their newest endorser chosen for his affable personality. Crispy Fry is made from choice flours and starches perfectly blended with seasonings, concocted to make fried chicken and fish crispy-delicious. The brand has an extensive list of variants available on the market. This includes Crispy Fry Chicken Breading Mix, which comes in Original, Garlic, and Spicy so families can enjoy fried chicken in different ways. Crispy Fry also has a variant with Gravy Mix and another with Japanese bread crumbs, seasonings, and spices. Meanwhile, the new Crispy Fry Fish Breading Mix reduces oil spills while cooking so families can enjoy fried fish without the hassle. To know more about Crispy Fry®, visit the Ajinomoto website at ajinomoto.com.ph and the Cookmunity by Ajinomoto Philippines at facebook.com/CookmunitybyAjinomotoPH.

Skyway 3 to be toll-free for frontliners, SMC says

SAN MIGUEL Corp. (SMC) on Wednesday said medical frontliners are allowed to use the newly opened Skyway Stage 3 for free.

“This means that even when the expressway starts collecting toll fees after the current free use period for the public set by Skyway 3, medical frontliners will still continue to benefit from toll-free passage,” the company said in an e-mailed statement.

SMC President Ramon S. Ang said the company has waived a total of P156 million in toll fees as of Jan. 18, 2021.

The expressway’s operator has formally asked the Toll Regulatory Board to allow it to start collecting fees ranging from P110 to P274.

The SMC-funded expressway is toll-free until Feb. 1.

“In the first two weeks since it was soft-opened, Skyway 3 recorded an average of 71,000 vehicles per day. Fully operational, Skyway 3 can easily accommodate 200,000 vehicles or half of daily Edsa traffic,” Mr. Ang said.

The elevated expressway was seen to reduce travel time from the South Luzon Expressway in Alabang to the North Luzon Expressway to about 30 minutes from about three hours. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Filipino consumers among the most optimistic in Q4 2020

Filipino consumers among the most optimistic in Q4 2020

How PSEi member stocks performed — January 20, 2021

Here’s a quick glance at how PSEi stocks fared on Wednesday, January 20, 2021.

Peso climbs as focus turns to US leadership change

THE PESO strengthened against the greenback on Wednesday on investor optimism hours ahead of the formal transition to the presidency of Joseph R. Biden, Jr.

The local unit closed at P48.06 per dollar, gaining 1.8 centavos from its Tuesday finish of P48.078, data from the Bankers Association of the Philippines showed.

The peso opened Wednesday’s session at P48.03 a dollar, which was also its intraday best. Meanwhile, its weakest showing was at its close of P48.06 against the greenback.

Dollars traded reached $727.5 million, more than the $650.6 million see on Tuesday.

The peso appreciated versus the dollar ahead of the inauguration of Mr. Biden, Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. Chief Economist Michael L. Ricafort said in a text message.

Mr. Biden’s was set to be inaugurated after local markets closed yesterday. The US government, under the leadership of the Democratic party, will push for a $1.9-trillion stimulus package to help the economy recover, Mr. Biden earlier said.

Meanwhile, a trader said the peso climbed “after [US] Treasury secretary nominee Janet Yellen called to “act big” on stimulus spending to support the US economic recovery”.

Ms. Yellen, Mr. Biden’s nominee for Treasury chief, said her incoming role will be to aid Americans while the population is being vaccinated and to help recovery for the world’s largest economy, Reuters reported.

For today, Mr. Ricafort said the peso could hover between the P48.02 to P48.08 per dollar while the trader expects a wider band of P48 to P48.20. — LWTN with Reuters

Stocks drop further ahead of Biden inauguration

By Revin Mikhael D. Ochave, Reporter

PHILIPPINE shares closed lower for the fourth consecutive day on Wednesday ahead of the upcoming change of leadership in the United States.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) fell 55.15 points or 0.76% to end at 7,143.30 yesterday, while the broader all shares index declined 19.62 points or 0.45% to close at 4,300.12.

Timson Securities, Inc. Head of Online Trading Darren Blaine T. Pangan said in a mobile phone message that the local market ended lower ahead of the inauguration of Joe Biden as the US president and despite the strong performance of Asian markets.

Mr. Biden was set to be inaugurated as the 46th US president yesterday in Washington. He will be the oldest president in US history.

Mr. Trump plans to leave the White House ahead of the Biden inauguration, thus breaking the political tradition of US presidents meeting their successors that signals a peaceful transfer of power.

Philstocks Financial, Inc. Senior Research Analyst Japhet Louis O. Tantiangco said in a mobile phone message that the local bourse declined as investors continued to book profits amid the lack of positive catalysts.

Mr. Tantiangco said market sentiment was also dampened by the continued spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) across the country.

The Department of Health on Wednesday reported 1,862 new COVID-19 cases, bringing total infections to 505,939.

Zamboanga City posted the highest number of new cases at 206, followed by Davao City at 109, Kalinga at 102, Quezon City at 77, and Benguet at 74.

Majority of sectoral indices ended lower on Wednesday, with services being the sole gainer, rising 20.69 points or 1.34% to finish at 1,560.37.

Meanwhile, mining and oil dropped 210.41 points or 2.18% to 9,403.52; holding firms retreated 89.45 points or 1.2% to 7,325.74; industrials went down 99.54 points or 1.06% to 9,236.04; property decreased 29.29 points or 0.8% to 3,617.2; and financials lost 11.65 points or 0.78% to 1,465.18.

Decliners beat advancers, 137 against 91, while 40 names ended unchanged.

Value turnover on Wednesday amounted to P13.10 billion with 121.68 billion issues switching hands, lower than the P16.03 billion with 144.4 billion issues seen in the previous trading session.

Net foreign selling reached P688.39 million on Wednesday, lower than the P1.21 billion in net outflows recorded on Tuesday.

“Support remains at 7,000, while nearest resistance may be pegged at 7,300,” Timson Securities’ Mr. Pangan said.

“The PSEi is already below the 7,150 to 7,200 support range. If it is unable to regain its ground at the said range, the local market may trade with 6,900 as the new support and 7,150 to 7,200 as the resistance area,” Philstocks Financial’s Mr. Tantiangco said.

13 contacts of man with new COVID-19 strain test positive

THIRTEEN people who had contact with a 29-year-old Filipino who got infected with a more contagious coronavirus strain have tested positive for the coronavirus including his girlfriend, according to Health authorities.

The girlfriend of the man, who arrived this month after a trip to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), had tested negative during the first test, the Department of Health (DoH) said in a statement on Wednesday.

Also infected were two co-passengers who also tested negative upon arrival, a household member and a health worker from Quezon City who attended to the patient, the agency said.

DoH said samples from the five close contacts had been sent to the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) to test if these people had been infected with the coronavirus variant first detected in Britain.

“All close contacts are currently isolated and under strict monitoring,” it said in a statement.

The Health department also confirmed that eight Filipino passengers from the same Emirates flight had tested positive upon arrival in Manila. Their samples were also sent to the PGC.

Preliminary analysis of the virus samples showed low viral load and they needed to be retested, DoH said. They had been scheduled for swabbing on Jan. 21.

“All eight  co-passengers are in stable condition and will remain under strict monitoring while completing isolation and while waiting for the results of the re-swabbing,” DoH said.

Aside from the girlfriend, the mother of the patient was also among those who tested positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) virus, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario S. Vergeire told an online new briefing.

She also said another contact who had tested positive was a recovering patient who got infected in December. Remnants of the virus could linger up to eight weeks, Ms. Vergeire said.

Ms. Vergeire also said authorities had yet to reach six of 213 close contacts of the patient. They were among the 159 passengers on the same flight.

The Department of Health (DoH) reported 1,862 coronavirus infections on Wednesday, bringing the total to 505,939. The death toll rose by 64 to 10,042, while recoveries increased by 765 to 466,993, it said in a bulletin.

There were 28,904 active cases, 84.9% of which were mild, 7.5% did not show symptoms, 4.5% were critical, 2.6% were severe and 0.39% were moderate.

Zamboanga City reported the highest number of new cases at 206, followed by Davao City at 109, Kalinga at 102, Quezon City at 77 and Benguet at 74. 

DoH said seven duplicates had been removed from the tally, while 14 recovered cases were reclassified as deaths. Two laboratories failed to submit their data on Jan. 19. About 6.9 million Filipinos have been tested for the coronavirus as of Jan. 18, according to DoH’s tracker website.

The coronavirus has sickened about 96.7 million and killed 2.1 million people worldwide, according to the Worldometers website, citing various sources including data from the World Health Organization (WHO).

About 69.4 million people have recovered, it said. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

State should let local governments import vaccines — senator

A SENATOR has filed a resolution asking the government to allow local governments and the private sector to order coronavirus vaccines.

“Allowing the local government units (LGUs) and the private sector to procure their own vaccines will prevent the spread of the disease and hasten the efforts to further open up the economy, which in effect will restore and create more jobs for the people,” Senator Ralph G. Recto said in the resolution.

One condition is for the vaccines to have been authorized by the local Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte locked down the entire Luzon island in mid-March, suspending work, classes and private transportation to contain the pandemic. The lockdown in most parts of the country had since been eased.

The Philippines last week approved the emergency use of Pfizer, Inc. and BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine, which has a 95% efficacy rate.

China’s Sinovac Biotech Ltd., British drug maker AstraZeneca, and Russia’s Sputnik V vaccines also have pending applications.

Some local governments and the private sector have committed to fund and order vaccines as part of the state’s immunization program.

The government seeks to order 148 million doses this year and is targeting to inoculate at least 50 million Filipinos.

Allowing local governments and companies to import vaccines directly would quicken the order process and ease the burden on the National Government, Mr. Recto said. The government could also focus on priority and vulnerable sectors as well as the poor.

Also on Wednesday, the government said it would assess coronavirus infections during the holiday season before easing quarantine restrictions at the end of the month.

“When our medical advisers come to a point where they can comfortably say it will not cause a tremendous risk to the general population, then restrictions on age will be slowly eased as well,” Vivencio B. Dizon, deputy chief enforcer of the government’s anti-coronavirus efforts, told an online news briefing.

Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez on Tuesday said he might propose to allow Filipinos as young as 10 years to go to malls to boost consumer spending.

Mr. Dizon said the government is trying to balance public health and the effects of a stricter lockdown on the economy. “We always consider the effects of community quarantine restrictions on our economy.”

Under the rules, only those aged 15 to 65 years may stay outdoors. Scientists are investigating whether children are more susceptible to the new coronavirus strain spreading rapidly in Britain, according to BBC News. — Charmaine A. Tadalan and Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

House lawmakers may start Charter change debates by February

CONGRESSMEN could start debates on proposed changes to the 1987 Constitution next month, according to the head of the House of Representatives committee on constitutional amendments.

“We still have one to two hearings in the committee and we will come up with the committee report, which will exclusively deal with the economic provisions,” Party-list Rep. Alfredo A. Garbin, Jr. told a news briefing on Wednesday.

Lawmakers could discuss the changes in plenary as early as the first week of February, he added. His committee will continue hearings on the matter on Tuesday.

Speaker Lord Allan Jay Q. Velasco wants to ease foreign ownership restrictions in the Charter to boost foreign direct investments.

Some lawmakers want to insert the clause “unless otherwise provided by law” in parts of the Constitution that limit foreign ownership in certain Philippine industries. This will allow Congress to pass a law later relaxing ownership limits.

Mr. Garbin said the Charter must be amended before general elections next year.

“It is the right time,” he said of Charter change, rejecting calls for the government to focus on its pandemic response instead. “We want to send a signal that we are now open and that the restrictive policies will be lifted.” — Gillian M. Cortez

Nationwide round-up (01/20/21)

Bill filed to institutionalize agreement limiting police, military presence inside UP campuses nationwide

A MEASURE that will institutionalize the 1989 agreement between the University of the Philippines (UP) and the Department of National Defense (DND) that limits military and police presence in UP campuses nationwide has been filed in the Senate.

Bill No. 2002 will amend Republic Act No. 9500, the University of the Philippines Charter of 2008, to prevent the entry of security forces in the facilities of the country’s biggest state-run academic institution without prior authorization from the school administration.

“The UP-DND accord is not a ‘Do not enter’ sign that bars law enforcement from entering the campus. It is not a wall which obstructs justice or deters the solution or prevention of crime,” the explanatory note of the bill read.

“The proposed measure ensures that the procedural due process of UP students, staff and faculty are protected.”

Members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP) and other law enforcers will also be banned from interfering in peaceful protests of individuals or groups within UP campuses.

Administration officials, meanwhile, defended the unilateral cancelation of the 1989 deal while the President’s spokesperson, a UP alumnus, offered to facilitate a dialogue between the parties.

Mr. Lorenzana, in a streamed press conference on Wednesday, insisted that the scrapping of the deal is intended to address the communist insurgency.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry L. Roque, Jr., in a separate interview, said mutuality is not a requirement to abrogate the over three-decade old pact because it is an “unusual contract” or  “extraordinary contract” between two parties.

Nonetheless, Mr. Roque said he is ready to mediate talks between the defense chief and UP officials.

The alumni of Sandigan para sa Mag-aaral at Sambayan (SAMASA) and Nagkaisang Tugon (Tugon), rival political parties in the university in the 1980s, have added their joint voices in condemning what they called as “curtailment” of academic freedom.

“DND’s unilateral termination of the 1989 Agreement which is not only a barefaced betrayal of its commitments to UP, but also an assault in broad daylight on the academic freedom and institutional autonomy that are guaranteed by Congress through its charter,” they said.

Among the signatories are Senator Francis N. Pangilinan, former UP University Student Council Chair, former Cong. Teddy B. Baguilat, Jr., former Cong. Ibarra Gutierrez III, and DLSU School of Law Dean

Virgilio R. de Los Reyes. — Charmaine A. Tadalan and Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

Group files complaint vs BSP execs over national ID system

AN anti-corruption group on Wednesday filed a complaint before the Ombudsman against ranking officials of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) for alleged failure to undertake a bidding process for raw materials that will be used in the national ID system.

The Stop Corruption Organization of the Philippines, Inc., (SCOPI) said Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Benjamin E. Diokno, BSP-Security Plant Complex (SPC) Bids and Awards Committee Chair Prudence Angelita A. Kasala, and other BSP officials did not undergo “competitive bidding” for the procurement of raw materials relating to the rollout of the Philippine Identification (Phil ID) system.

The complaint, a copy of which was sent to the media, was filed by SCOPI Chairman Ricardo D. Fulgencio IV on Wednesday.

The complaint also cited that BSP specified a brand in its Technical Specifications and Terms of Reference, which is prohibited under procurement laws.

“(R)espondents’ preference to Kinegram deprived other Phil ID suppliers of the opportunity to bid for the project and robbed the government of getting the most advantageous terms for the supply of such raw materials.  Clearly this is a corrupt practice of public officers,” the complaint read.

The BSP has yet to issue a statement on the complaint as of this writing. — Gillian M. Cortez

Comelec proposes inter-agency group to address cyber interference threats in 2022 national, local polls

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Wednesday proposed the creation of an inter-agency task force (IATF) to help counter cyber-related interference during the national and local elections in 2022.

“It is recommended that some sort of inter-agency election integrity task force be established to assist and perhaps advise the Comelec in dealing with cyber-related interference in the electoral process,” Comelec Spokesperson James B. Jimenez said in a Senate hearing.

Mr. Jimenez is speaking before the committee on electoral reforms and people’s participation, which was tackling Senate Resolution No. 542.

The resolution proposed that Comelec and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) set up a tool to detect and repel potential foreign interference.

Mr. Jimenez said the commission has met with representatives of social media platforms to address disinformation on their sites.

He also proposed the passage of a measure requiring political advertisers to adhere to a set of integrity standards and to creating an archive for all advertisements that will be accessible to the public.

DICT Assistant Secretary Emmanuel Rey R. Caintic said the department has the tools to detect purveyors of fake news and manipulation of the election, but noted they have no investigative power.

“We have the necessary tools but we would need that proper mandate to do an investigation because the cybersecurity bureau does not have a law enforcement jurisdiction,” he told senators. — Charmaine A. Tadalan

Justice dep’t takes steps to address ‘rash killings’ of lawyers

THE Department of Justice (DoJ) said it will be closely monitoring the cases involving the killing of lawyers in the Philippines and will look into extending better protection to the legal community.

“The DoJ will come up with an inventory of cases under investigation by the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation), under preliminary investigation by the prosecution service, and undergoing trial in court, for the purpose of monitoring their progress very closely,” he told reporters in a Viber message.

“Other issues, such as providing greater protection to law practitioners, prosecutors, and judges, will be tackled in subsequent joint activities with the IBP,” he added.

The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) recently held a virtual meeting with government officials to discuss lawyer security and justice, the group said in a Facebook post.

Mr. Guevarra said the meeting tackled issues on the “rash killings of members of the legal community.”

The IBP last month sent a letter to President Rodrigo R. Duterte and Vice President Maria Leonor G. Robredo seeking for a “more coordinated, effective, and sustainable solution to the pressing problem.”

More than 50 lawyers have been killed under the Duterte administration, the group noted in their letter. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

DSWD reports over 430K families benefit from Bayanihan II cash aid

MORE than 430,000 beneficiaries have received financial assistance through the emergency subsidy program (ESP), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) reported on Wednesday.

The ESP is a cash aid program under Republic Act No. 11494 or the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (Bayanihan II).

Citing the agency’s latest report as of January 19, Social Welfare Undersecretary Rene Glen O. Paje said they have distributed about P2.7 billion to 436,756 beneficiaries.

The beneficiaries included more than 71,000 Filipinos living under granular lockdown as well as 365,032 households that are not under the regular cash aid program called 4Ps, he said.

Mr. Paje also said the agency is currently distributing P15,000 each to displaced families through the Livelihood Assistance Grant (LAG) program.

“The grant can be used by beneficiaries who are looking for jobs or who want to establish small enterprises,” he said in Filipino.

Meanwhile, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) has filed charges against more than 80 local officials allegedly involved in anomalies in the distribution of funds under the social amelioration program, another cash aid scheme in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Office of the Ombudsman has already ordered the preventive suspension of 89 barangay captains for six months. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

Court orders arrest of Advincula for perjury in alleged ouster plot

A Manila court ordered the arrest of Peter Joemel Advincula, the man who appeared in videos linking the President’s family to illegal drugs, for perjury over his tagging of lawyers in the alleged plot to oust President Rodrigo R. Duterte.

In an order dated Jan. 18, the Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 17 issued the arrest warrant for Mr. Advincula and set the bail at P18,000.

In a resolution dated Feb. 17, 2020, the Department of Justice (DoJ) recommended charging Mr. Advincula for perjury based on a complaint filed by Free Legal Assistance Group lawyers Jose Manuel I. Diokno, Lorenzo R. Tañada III, and Theodore O. Te in September 2019.

The lawyers were also cleared by prosecutors from the complaint on conspiracy to commit sedition in February last year.

Mr. Advincula, who served both as a witness and respondent in the sedition complaint, was among the 11 indicted for conspiracy to commit sedition by the prosecutors.

The prosecutors said the allegation on participation in planning the ouster in a campus on March 4, 2019 “is an outright lie and perjurious,” noting that Mr. Diokno and Mr. Tañada were attending a forum for senatorial candidates that day.

Prosecutors also said the complaint of Mr. Te is valid as he only met Mr. Advincula after he received a request for his legal assistance.

The prosecutors also dismissed the perjury complaint against P/Col. Arnold Thomas C. Ibay, saying he was “clear and categorical” when he submitted records to the Department of Justice for investigation based on documentary evidence and claims of Mr. Advincula. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

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