By Vincent Mariel P. Galang
and Arjay L. Balinbin, Reporters
REGINA Paz “Gina” L. Lopez, the former Environment secretary who rattled the mining industry after she shut down erring large-scale operations, has died. She was 65.
Ms. Lopez passed away on Aug. 19 due to multiple organ failure, according to ABS-CBN News. In January 2018, Ms. Lopez posted on Facebook that she was battling cancer.
“Gina Lopez was a champion for the environment, child protection and the disadvantaged,” ABS-CBN Foundation, Inc., where Ms. Lopez was chairperson, said in a statement yesterday. “She exemplified a life of service to humanity with a deep desire to improve people’s lives.”
Ms. Lopez served as Environment chief for less than a year through May 2017, before Congress rejected her appointment by President Rodrigo R. Duterte because of her anti-mining stance.
The environmental advocate and philanthropist shuttered more than a dozen mining operations and suspended more after months of audit. She also banned open pit mining and wanted to cancel mining contracts near watersheds.
The presidential palace said Ms. Lopez was one of the president’s most passionate alter-egos.
“It is with a heavy heart that we express our sincerest condolences to her family, relatives, friends and loved ones,” presidential spokesman Salvador S. Panelo said in a statement. He said her environmental advocacy and legacy “remains unparalleled to this day.”
“Gina was a pure champion of the environment, bold and fearless in her advocacies, regardless of the consequences” her successor Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu said in a statement. “She was uncompromising in protecting watersheds and imposing high standards of responsibility on the mining industry,” said Mr. Cimatu, a former military general.
“In her rather short stint in government service, she proved that with political will and deep love for our planet and people, our long languishing environmental laws and policies can be implemented,” said Gloria Estenzo Ramos, vice president of environmental group Oceana Philippines.
Ms. Lopez was the daughter of ABS-CBN Chairman Emeritus Eugenio Lopez, Jr. and Conchita La’O. She had six siblings including ABS-CBN Chairman Eugenio Lopez III.
Ms. Lopez went to Assumption College and Newton College of the Sacred Heart in Boston. She held a master’s degree in Development Management from the Asian Institute of Management.
After studying in the US, Ms. Lopez left Manila and became a yoga missionary for 20 years, and lived in Portugal, India and Africa, according to ABS-CBN News. She is survived by her two sons.
“We hope people will emulate her example by following their hearts to do what’s right, fighting for the environment and animals by standing up for them,” People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Manager Ashley Fruno said in a statement.
There will be a memorial service for the public at the La Mesa Eco Park on Aug. 22 to 23 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., according to the ABS-CBN Foundation.
THE Philippines has threatened to fire off diplomatic protests after another over Chinese warships in its territorial waters.
“Fire off a diplomatic protest to China, and if we have already fired one off on the Chinese warships, fire off another,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. said during a Senate hearing yesterday. “We’ll never run out of those.”
He also told the Senate foreign relations committee that the written request should use explicit, not diplomatic language.
Mr. Locsin said this in reply to Senator Franklin M. Drilon’s question about how his department was asserting Philippine sea claims.
Senators at yesterday’s hearing said China should be pressured to respond to diplomatic protests by the Foreign Affairs department.
“Given the imbalance in military power, economic power, we can continue to assert our sovereign rights by continuously putting this on record that we are protesting it,” the lawmaker said. “Otherwise we will be deemed to be accepting their incursions into our territory.”
Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana on Friday criticized the unannounced entry of Chinese warships in Philippine waters, saying President Rodrigo R. Duterte should raise this during his visit to China later this month.
The Armed Forces earlier said five Chinese warships were seen off Sibutu Strait in Tawi-Tawi province in the nation’s south. — Charmaine A. Tadalan
THE National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has arrested two suspected members of the Abu Sayyaf Group involved in various kidnapping incidents in Mindanao, it said in a statement yesterday.
State agents arrested Abdulla D. Addi and Aluyudan Ismael Guru in separate operations based on a warrant for kidnapping and serious illegal detention.
Addi, who was arrested last month in Zamboanga City, was allegedly involved in the kidnapping in Patikul, Sulu in 2002, when two victims were beheaded.
He was also allegedly part of the abduction of 21 hostages at a resort in Malaysia in 2000. The hostages were later brought to the group’s base in Jolo, Sulu in southern Philippines. Addi is also being blamed for the abduction of three Indonesian sailors in 2002.
Meanwhile, Guru was arrested on Aug. 15 in Pasay City where he lived. He was said to be recognized as a guard by one of the victims of the Golden Harvest Plantation kidnapping in 2001.
NBI said he was involved in the Marawi Siege in 2017 and was tapped to help the “largely ethnic Yakan group” of former Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon enter Marawi City.
Abu Sayyaf has used terror for profit and to promote its jihadist agenda, according to the US National Counterterrorism Center. It also engages in kidnappings for ransom, bombings, assassinations and extortions, it said. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas
Sedition case respondents want OSG disqualified as police representative
FOUR RESPONDENTS in the sedition case before the Department of Justice (DoJ) asked the prosecution panel to disqualify the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) from representing the police during the preliminary investigation of their complaint. In two separate motions, lawyers Jose Manuel I. Diokno, Theodore O. Te, and Lorenzo R. Tañada III, all represented by the The Free Legal Assistance Group, and former Magdalo Party-list representative Gary C. Alejano cited a 1990 Supreme Court (SC) decision which prohibits participation of the OSG in preliminary investigations. “By parity of principle, if the OSG lawyers for a complainant public officer during a preliminary investigation, it effectively likewise fetters itself to a position that would prevent it from credibly performing its role as the People’s Tribune, should a private respondent’s conviction be challenged on appeal, and should the OSG decide at the time that the public interest is better served by reversing the conviction,” Messrs. Diokno, Te, and Tañada stated. Mr. Alejano also said the participation of the OSG may result in possible conflict of interest if the case reaches the appellate court, should the preliminary probe rule in favor of the respondents. The OSG then will have to choose if it will act as counsel for the police or the DoJ, the office to which it is attached. The Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation Group last month filed a complaint of sedition, inciting to sedition, cyberlibel, libel, estafa, harboring a criminal and obstruction of justice against Vice President Maria Leonor G. Robredo and 35 other people allegedly involved in an plot to unseat President Rodrigo R. Duterte. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas
Solon files bill for medical cannabis regulating agency
CAMARINES SUR 2nd District Rep. Luis Raymund F. Villafuerte Jr. has filed a bill for the establishment of an agency that will oversee the production of medical cannabis in the country. House Bill 3961 proposes the creation of the Philippine Cannabis Development Authority (PhilCADA). Mr. Villafuerte said under the measure, only agricultural state universities that will be authorized or sponsored by the PhilCADA will be allowed during the prescribed experimental period to grow and cultivate specific cannabis species. After this period, private enterprises would then be allowed to grow and cultivate the plants. The solon noted that cannabis will not only be beneficial for medical treatments “but also the government in terms of export revenues that can be tapped from its potential $57-billion market as medical cannabis is now legal and used for health.” Mr. Villafuerte stressed that medical cannabis refers to cannabidiol or CBD, which is the non-intoxicating strain of cannabis or marijuana plant. “Cannabis needs to be legalized in the Philippines for medical, scientific and research purposes,” he said. “The Cannabis plants and its medical grade products have high demand and economic value for export. Hence, Philippine laws should be passed that will see medical cannabis become a fully commercialized crop within the next five years.”— Vince Angelo C. Ferreras
DoJ calls on CSC to draft specific guidelines on gifts that gov’t workers may accept
JUSTICE SECRETARY MENARDO I. GUEVARRA — PCOO.GOV.PH
JUSTICE SECRETARY Menardo I. Guevarra has suggested that the Civil Service Commission set specific guidelines on the value of gifts that government workers may receive without violating anti-graft and ethical rules. “The CSC may create guidelines to implement the provision of the law,” he told reporters. He noted that the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and Code of Conduct Ethical Standards for Public Officers have no specific rules on the amount or gift value that can be accepted by government officials as a token of appreciation. “Unless of course the Civil Service Commission would give an exact or precise definition, let’s say no gift exceeding P1,000 in any occasion so pwede gawin ‘yun ng (it can be done by) CSC. But right now, wala ngang ganung klaseng (there is no such) rule, kaya (that’s why it is) flexible, so very relative ang concept,” he said. The Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act prohibits government workers from directly receiving or indirectly requesting a gift, with the exception of unsolicited gifts or presents of small or insignificant amount viewed as mere token of gratitude. The Code of Ethics, on the other hand, prohibits acceptance of gifts in the course of official duties. Mr. Guevarra said gift-giving is part of the Filipino culture, but any gift must not affect of influence any official action. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas
DoH targets 196,000 children for polio immunization
THE DEPARTMENT of Health(DoH) targets to immunize 196,000 children this year with the polio vaccine, citing higher risk of polio transmission 19 years since the Philippines was declared polio-free. DoH Undersecretary Rolando Enrique D. Domingo, during Monday’s Synchronized Polio Vaccination Kickoff activity in Manila, said they are starting the immunization program in the city because of the high risk considering population density and sanitation hazzards. “Among the cities in the Philippines, Manila is one na nakikita natin na may (that we see with a) potential na magkaroon ng (to have)… the poliovirus,” he said. Polio is a contagious disease caused by poliovirus, which infects the brain and spinal cord, resulting to paralysis or even death. The virus attacks children below the age of five. The DoH reported over the weekend that vaccination coverage for polio has decreased from the 95% needed in order to ensure a population is considered free of polio. Children below five years old will be able to avail of the free oral polio vaccine under the program. The DoH also advises to keep surroundings clean and sanitary. Practising personal hygiene and staying away from dirty areas also help prevent polio. — Gillian M. Cortez
Duterte favors separate public toilets for transgender people
PRESIDENT RODRIGO R. Duterte wants separate public toilets for transgender people, Malacañang said. “Ang sinasabi niya, dapat meron ng (What he said was there should be a) third rest room for them,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador S. Panelo said in an interview on ANC on Monday. He added that they talked about the issue last Sunday. Mr. Panelo said he agrees with the President “para wala nang problema ‘di ba (so that there will be no more conflicts), that will solve everything.” The case of transgender Gretchen Diez against a Quezon City mall, where she was barred from using the women’s toilet, prompted public discussion on giving more rights to the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community. — Arjay L. Balinbin
Leonen declines nomination for chief justice
SUPREME COURT (SC) Associate Justice Marvic Mario Victor F. Leonen has declined his automatic nomination for chief justice, SC Public Information Office Chief Brian Keith F. Hosaka told reporters in a text message. Chief Justice Lucas P. Bersamin is set to leave his post on October 18 when he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 70. Mr. Leonen, in a statement, said, “I confirm that I have declined the nomination of the Court en banc to the position of Chief Justice vice Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin… There is no requirement to state our reasons for declining the nomination. For now, in my considered judgement, my decision is the right thing to do for myself, this Court and this country. I will be able to do what I do best for our people in my current position at this time.” The SC’s five senior associate justices are automatically nominated to the top post, but subject to their acceptance. The other senior associate justices are Antonio T. Carpio, who will retire on October 26, Diosdado M. Peralta, Estela M. Perlas-Bernabe, and Benjamin Caguioa. Mr. Hosaka said the other four have not yet responded on their nomination. Deadline for application for chief justice is on August 20. — VannMarlo M. Villegas
OIL COMPANIES are raising the prices of petroleum products this week after last week’s price cut that saw a more than one peso reduction in the cost of diesel. Based on their advisories as of Monday afternoon, gasoline will increase by P0.35 per liter (/L), while diesel will be up by P0.60/L. The price of kerosene will also rise by P0.45/L. Most oil companies will implement the price adjustment at 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 20. The price increase comes after last week’s hefty reduction, with diesel prices decreasing by P1.10/L. Gasoline prices dropped last week by P0.50/L, while kerosene by P1.30/L. — Victor V. Saulon
THE GUIDELINES issued by the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) last week as it lifted the suspension of Iloilo-Guimaras motorboats are now being implemented nationwide. In its notice to “all passenger motorboat owners/operators,” MARINA said, “To uphold maritime safety nationwide, all passenger motorbancas shall only be allowed to sail under the following conditions:”
• Each passenger will have to wear a life jacket throughout the trip;
• Loading of just 75% of the approved carrying capacity of the vessel;
• Overhead tarpaulins/canvass should be rolled up or removed;
• Services will only be from sunrise to sunset;
• Operations will be allowed only during “fair weather,” defined as conditions wherein wind is under 7-10 knots or Force 3 in the beaufort scale, and wave height of not more than 0.5 meter; and
• Fitting the vessels with distress signal equipment.
AMBULANT VENDORS in Tacloban City affected by the road and sidewalk clearing operations can get stalls at the new Night Market along Quezon Boulevard and fees for their business permit application have been waived until Aug. 31. In a statement, the local government said the 7 p.m. to midnight market, which had its soft opening last Friday, can accommodate 100 vendors at the marked stall spaces. “We will also be setting up tents through the help of City Tourism and City Engineer’s Office to take care of the night market’s electricity, cleanliness and security needs,” officer-in-charge Market Superintendent Joel Bugho said. “As part of our preparation, we have already set up additional lighting systems in the area for the convenience of the vendors and shoppers,” he added. Half of Quezon Boulevard, fronting the Main Tacloban Public Market, has been allocated for the evening stalls, while the designated parking area for shoppers is at the back of the Macdonald’s restaurant.
THE PROPOSED P100 million budget to construct two terminals for Davao City’s planned High Priority Bus System (HPBS) will be tackled by the city council this week. Councilor Danilo C. Dayanghirang, chair of the finance ways and means committee, said over the weekend that the fund is part of the proposed Supplemental Budget 1 for the year. The budget indicates that it will be “used in setting up the interim terminals for the buses, one of them in the northern side of the city, and one of them in the southern side.” The HPBS is among the recommendations in a study undertaken by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which has allocated a $70-million loan fund for the transport modernization in Davao City. Last year, the city government already deployed several air-conditioned buses in a couple of test routes covering the south-central area. Ivan C. Cortez, head of the City Planning and Development Office, earlier said the HPBS is expected to reduce the number of public utility jeepneys by 80%, but will create jobs for affected drivers and operators. The HPBS, he said, is seen to require a 10,000 workforce, higher than the current 7,200 jeepney drivers. — Carmelito Q. Francisco
DAVAO CITY — Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol, taking on his role as the new head of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) on Monday, said agriculture, the poorest provinces, and indigenous people (IP) communities would be among his priority areas.
Speaking during the chairmanship turn-over ceremony at the MinDA office here, Mr. Piñol said, “(Mindanao) has been endowed with so much resources, but productivity has been very low,” he said, pointing out that most of the areas that are very poor are IP communities who have been sidelined in the crafting of government programs.
In the transitioning Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), where the poorest provinces are mainly located, Mr. Piñol said there is already an agricultural sector development plan, which was drawn up with the assistance of the Department of Agriculture (DA).
Mr. Piñol, who was previously DA secretary prior to the MinDA post, said they will be looking at how the plan can be immediately rolled out and ensure benefits to the region.
Among the key projects that he will push for implementation during his six-year tenure include: setting up stores in BARMM villages, which will be managed by widows, wives and children of former members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front; the plan of the Italian government to fund projects in Mindanao, among them the dredging of the Rio Grande de Mindanao; the proposal of the Turkey government to capacitate local government units through trainings; export premium rice varieties to Papua New Guinea; export expansion of coconut by-product such as fresh coconut water, to China, Hong Kong and the USA; tap Israel for loans for irrigation systems; and export hogs, poultry and vegetables to Singapore.
“We will excel in agriculture if we invest in agriculture,” he said.
Mr. Piñol also emphasized the need to strengthen MinDA as an agency in terms of developing studies-based programs. — Carmelito Q. Francisco
THE PESO strengthened as investors remain optimistic on a US-China trade deal.
THE PESO rose on Monday amid optimism on the trade talks between the United States and China, even as US President Donald Trump expressed reluctance to seal a deal in the near term.
The local unit finished at P52.31 against the greenback on Monday, higher by 13 centavos than Friday’s P52.44-to-a-dollar close.
The peso opened Monday’s trading session at P52.35 against the dollar. Its highest point for the day was at P52.31, while its intraday low was logged at P52.40 versus the greenback.
Dollars traded on Monday reached $1.069 billion, lower compared to previous session’s $1.397 billion.
“The peso strengthened after US President Trump commented that trade talks with China are still ongoing despite his reluctance to close a deal for the time being,” a trader said via e-mail.
A trader interviewed separately via phone said that investors on Monday were willing to take risk amid “optimism” on the news of the ongoing trade talks between US and China.
Mr. Trump and top White House officials dismissed concerns that economic growth may be faltering, saying on Sunday they saw little risk of recession despite a volatile week on global bond markets, and insisting their trade war with China was doing no damage to the United States.
“We’re doing tremendously well, our consumers are rich, I gave a tremendous tax cut, and they’re loaded up with money,” Mr. Trump said on Sunday.
But he was less optimistic than his aides on striking a trade deal with China, saying that while he believed China was ready to come to an agreement, “I’m not ready to make a deal yet.”
He hinted that the White House would like to see Beijing resolve ongoing protests in Hong Kong first.
“I would like to see Hong Kong worked out in a very humanitarian fashion,” Mr. Trump said. “I think it would be very good for the trade deal.”
White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said trade deputies from the two countries would speak within 10 days and “if those deputies’ meetings pan out… we are planning to have China come to the USA” to advance negotiations over ending a trade battle that has emerged as a potential risk to global economic growth.
Even with the talks stalled for now and the threat of greater tariffs and other trade restrictions hanging over the world economy, Mr. Kudlow said on “Fox News Sunday” the United States remained “in pretty good shape.”
For today, the peso “may depreciate…as expectations of weaker eurozone inflation reports might drive demand toward the greenback,” the first trader said.
The first trader expects the peso to settle between P52.20 and P52.40 versus the dollar, while the second trader expects peso to move sideways from P52.20 to P52.50. — Mark T. AmoguiswithReuters
SHARES recovered on Monday as investors bought shares at the close, even as market sentiment remained cautious due to tensions abroad.
The bellwether Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) jumped 1.82% or 142.37 points to close at 7,938.35 yesterday, snapping the market’s two-day decline. The broader all-shares index likewise advanced 1.18% or 56.07 points to 4,797.21.
“Here at the PSE, the main index ends the day up 1.83% on last-minute buying. It had been flat prior to the close. Market sentiment for equities remains very cautious. The relief that we saw may be temporary,” AAA Southeast Equities, Inc. Research Head Christopher John Mangun said in a statement on Monday.
“Investors may have showed some optimism as we had the first IPO (initial public offering) for the year, ending the day up more than 40%. The upside is still extremely limited until we see investors gain more confidence in our market.”
The market saw the first IPO for the year with the listing of Kepwealth Property Phils, Inc., whose shares soared 41.99% or P2.41 to close at P8.15 each, compared to its offer price of P5.74.
Meanwhile, Regina Capital Development Corp. Head of Sales Luis A. Limlingan attributed the market’s positive performance to the possibility of central banks doing something about a supposed economic slowdown.
“Stocks rallied as a rebound in bond yields eased fears of a recession that sent stocks tumbling earlier in the week. Speculation of more stimulus from both central banks and governments across the world helped prop up the markets,” Mr. Limlingan said in a mobile phone message.
China’s announcement of key interest rate reforms over the weekend has fueled expectations of an imminent reduction in corporate borrowing costs in the struggling economy, boosting share prices on Monday.
Under the new mechanism, bank lending rates will be linked to the loan prime rate, which will be linked to the People’s Bank of China’s medium-term lending facility interest rate.
All sectoral indices moved to positive territory, led by mining and oil which soared 2.71% or 218.92 points to 8,270.11.
Financials climbed 2.49% or 44.43 points to 1,823.72; industrials rose 2.3% or 249.58 points to 11,093.90; holding firms surged 1.49% or 115.20 points to 7,842.20; services firmed up 1.33% or 20.86 points to 1,589.71; while property added 0.71% or 28.97 points to 4,065.94.
Some 1.02 billion issues switched hands valued at P7.02 billion, lower than Friday’s P8.70-billion turnover.
Advancers outpaced decliners, 113 to 72, while 62 names were unchanged.
Foreign investors resumed their selling for a P182.68-million net outflow against the previous session’s net purchases worth P298.69 million. — withReuters
