Sereno ouster via quo warranto a threat to democracy — VP
VICE-PRESIDENT Maria Leonor G. Robredo said ousting Chief Justice on-leave Maria Lourdes P.A. Sereno through the Supreme Court will pave the way for the use of quo warranto as “a weapon of intimidation, to kill dissent.” Ms. Robredo pointed out that the Constitution, which is intended to protect rights, only allows officials such as the chief justice, the ombudsman, or the chairman of the Commission on Audit to be removed through impeachment with the Senate acting as the court. “Our Constitution ensures that they cannot be strong-armed by those who are in power,” Ms. Robredo said on Monday in her speech at the Free the Courts: A Justice Forum. “If our justice system defies the Constitution which is the sacred cornerstone of all our laws, wouldn’t that be the end of our nation as we know it?” she added. Likewise, Integrated Bar of the Philippines President Abdiel Dan Elijah S. Fajardo, who had previously sought the dismissal of the quo warranto case, said the decision “will open the floodgate to questions on the qualification” of every impeachable officer. The SC is reportedly set to decide on the quo warranto case on May 11, ahead of the resumption of congressional sessions on May 15. According to Mr. Fajardo if the high court rules in favor of Solicitor General Jose C. Calida’s petition, Ms. Sereno may file a motion for reconsideration. — Charmaine A. Tadalan
Rappler CEO: Tax evasion charge is political harassment
RAPPLER CHIEF Executive Officer Maria Ressa on Monday appealed to the government “to (let) journalists do their jobs” in response to the P133-million tax evasion case filed against her and the online news company. In the eight-page joint counter-affidavit submitted to the Department of Justice, she described the complaint as “another case of political harassment” and that it “shows ill intent of intimidation… or just plain incompetence.” “This is another instance where you have a case of political harassment because we’re journalists trying to do our job,” Ms. Ressa told reporters. She added: “I am a citizen in good standing, a journalist with decades of experience, and by filing these charges before they investigate and let me say that — by filing the charges before any investigation they violated my constitutional rights.” The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) accused parent company Rappler Holdings Corp. (RHC) and several officials of providing inaccurate information on its 2015 income tax and value-added tax returns, citing that the company was involved in the trading of Philippine Depository Receipts. BIR has calculated the tax liability at more than P133.8 million. Ms. Ressa, however, said “this charge, is absolutely false.” Lawyer Eric C. Recalde pointed out: “There was no tax evasion, there was no intent to avoid tax” and that “there’s no way the company could be considered to be a dealer in securities which is essentially the basis why the BIR treated the transaction to be a buy and sale of securities allegedly subject to taxes.”— Dane Angelo M. Enerio
Albayalde: Lower crime incidents a sign of “winning” the drug war
POLICE DIRECTOR General Oscar D. Albayalde said the government is winning its war against drugs as indicated by the drop in crime incidents, but admitted that the entry of illegal substances remains a challenge. “To be honest, illegal drugs is still a big problem; we must admit that,” Mr. Albayalde said in a press briefing on Monday, citing difficulties in tracking everything that enters the country’s borders. “[The progress] is difficult to quantify… but with what we see in its effects [on peace and order], we know that we are winning this war against illegal drugs,” Mr. Albayalde added. The Philippine National Police (PNP) reported 142,069 drug personalities arrested and 4,251 killed in anti-drug operations as of April 30. Of those arrested, 504 are government workers, 239 government employees, 217 elected officials, and 48 uniformed personnel. A total of 2,676.60 kilos of shabu (methamphetamine) with street value of P13.81 billion were seized since July 1, 2016. Meanwhile, 184,252 surrenderers graduated from the PNP recovery and wellness program. — Minde Nyl R. dela Cruz
PHL-US military exercises begin amid China’s missile installations
THE PHILIPPINE-United States Balikatan Exercises this year was launched Monday amid the reported installation of anti-ship and surface-to-air missile systems in the disputed Spratly Islands by China. Officials of both countries said Beijing’s actions do not affect the regular joint military exercises, now on its 34th edition. Philippine Exercise Director Lieutenant General Emmanuel B. Salamat said both the Philippines and US “intend to focus our activities in the [objectives] that we have set…” For his part, US Exercise Director Lieutenant General Lawrence D. Nicholson said the activities for the two-week bilateral exercise “was scheduled whether those missiles were there or not.” Balikatan 2018 will focus on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and counter-terrorism. The US Embassy, in a statement, said “regional partner nations” Australia and Japan will also be participating in the major training events of the exercises. — Minde Nyl R. dela Cruz
