MANILA – Hollywood actor Darren Criss has weighed in on the new anti-terrorism bill in the Philippines which the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte is currently pushing to become a law.
On Wednesday, Criss used his platform on Twitter in declaring that with the proposed measure, “injustice continues to thrive off the slippery rhetoric of peace maintenance... aka preying on the fears of the voting majority.”
Criss’ tweet came with a link that goes directly to a donation drive related to the measure. It calls for the scrapping of the terror bill and it contains the hashtags #JunkTerrorBill, #MassTestingNowPH and #OustDuterte, among others.
The Filipino-American actor also reposted another netizen’s art cards sharing more information about the new bill and why many are against it.
“’Anti-Terrorism’ may sound promising but that title does not include the idea that it maximizes criminality for ANYONE who shows any kind of civil opposition -- without a warrant, not to mention enforces totalitarian surveillance to uphold said insanity. I'd be in jail by now,” he said.
Duterte has certified as urgent the bill that would authorize the government to wiretap suspects, arrest them without warrants and hold them without charge for 14 days, among others provisions.
Opponents of the bill fear it could be used to suppress free speech and harass those who challenge Duterte, who commands a legislative majority and influence within the judiciary and state institutions.
"We think this is against the constitution," said human rights lawyer Jose Manuel Diokno. "Given the broader definition of terrorism, the administration's critics could be tagged as suspected terrorists."
Opposition lawmaker Edcel Lagman criticized Duterte for prioritizing the passage of a bill he described as "draconian" over an economic stimulus package pending congressional approval, which aims to help mitigate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Duterte was "tightening the noose on suspected terrorists at the expense of the protection of human rights and civil liberties," said Lagman, who is also a human rights lawyer.
Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque dismissed the criticism and said elements of the bill were patterned on those used in countries that had dealt effectively with extremism.
He said the 5-month takeover in 2017 of the southern city of Marawi by militants loyal to Islamic State showed the extent of extremist influence in the country.
"Let us not forget, the remains of Marawi is still there," Roque said.
Prior to his tweets about the anti-terrorism bill, Criss, whose mother is a Filipino, was protesting the racial inequality in the United States using the same social media platform.
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MANILA - International pop superstar Taylor Swift has joined calls to junk a new anti-terrorism bill that President Rodrigo Duterte is pushing, which some lawyers and human rights activists warned could be abused to target his detractors.
Swift, in a story on Instagram where she has 133 million followers, shared links on information and a donation drive related to the measure. It contained the hashtags #JunkTerrorBill, #MassTestingNowPH and #OustDuterte.
She also shared information about the US protests over the death of African-American George Floyd in police custody.
"When you’re done: Educate yourself. This doesn’t go away once the topic isn’t trending," her Instagram story read.
Duterte has certified as urgent the bill that would authorize the government to wiretap suspects, arrest them without warrants and hold them without charge for 14 days, among others provisions.
Opponents of the bill fear it could be used to suppress free speech and harass those who challenge Duterte, who commands a legislative majority and influence within the judiciary and state institutions.
"We think this is against the constitution," said human rights lawyer Jose Manuel Diokno. "Given the broader definition of terrorism, the administration's critics could be tagged as suspected terrorists."
Opposition lawmaker Edcel Lagman criticized Duterte for prioritizing the passage of a bill he described as "draconian" over an economic stimulus package pending congressional approval, which aims to help mitigate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Duterte was "tightening the noose on suspected terrorists at the expense of the protection of human rights and civil liberties," said Lagman, who is also a human rights lawyer.
Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque dismissed the criticism and said elements of the bill were patterned on those used in countries that had dealt effectively with extremism.
He said the 5-month takeover in 2017 of the southern city of Marawi by militants loyal to Islamic State showed the extent of extremist influence in the country.
"Let us not forget, the remains of Marawi is still there," Roque said.
Swift has performed at 2 sold-out concerts in the Philippines.
In the past few years, she has opened up about politics after initially struggling to control her own voice as an artist who found massive fame at a young age.
She endorsed Democratic candidates in Tennessee in 2018 and has criticized US President Donald Trump previously. -- With reports from Agence France-Presse and Reuters
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MANILA - Metro Manila will transition to a more relaxed general community quarantine (GCQ) next week, President Rodrigo Duterte announced Thursday night, following a 2-month lockdown imposed in the country to stem the spread of COVID-19.
Other areas that will be placed under GCQ from June 1 are regions 2, 3, 4A, Pangasinan, Albay and Davao City, he said.
"In other areas, it will be again a piecemeal basis depending of the viability to meet the challenges of COVID. From time to time, [presidential spokesperson Harry] Roque will give us the places where there will be changes," Duterte said in a public address streamed online.
Almost all industries except for leisure and amusement services will be allowed to operate in GCQ areas but in varying levels based on the guidelines of the inter-agency task force.
The rest of the country will meanwhile shift to a modified GCQ, which is one step closer to the "new normal" or the full lifting of community quarantine protocols.
Duterte reminded the public to adhere to general health standards as a large part of the country adjusts to the new normal.
"Let's move to so-called new normal... Remember the COVID microbes are still in the air that you breathe, that you pass on to your fellowmen," the President said.
"The state has every right to control your movement if you pass on the contagion to other population," he added.
To date, the Philippines has recorded 15,588 coronavirus infections, with 921 deaths and 3,598 recoveries.
--With a report from Pia Gutierrez, ABS-CBN News
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MANILA - Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Monday said martial law can only be declared due to armed actions by human beings, and not by viruses.
"In the context of martial law, 'invasion' refers to invasion of a country by foreign armed forces. This is analogous to the other ground for declaring martial law, i.e., rebellion, which is an armed uprising against the government by its own citizens. Both terms refer to armed actions by human beings, not by non-living things like viruses," he said in a statement.
Guevarra was reacting to Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo's claim that the global coronavirus pandemic can be considered an "invasion", and can serve as basis for President Rodrigo Duterte to employ extraordinary measures such as martial law.
Panelo said the coronavirus pandemic threatens the whole country, claiming that there is an "actual invasion" happening.
So far, the Philippines has responded to the coronavirus pandemic with lockdowns, enhanced testing, and physical distancing measures.
As of Monday, the Philippines has a confirmed 9,485 cases of COVID-19. This includes 623 deaths, and 1,315 recoveries.
- with a report from Mike Navallo, ABS-CBN News
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MANILA--Wary shoppers rushed with carts filled to the brim at a Quezon City supermarket Monday afternoon, as news went around of an impending large-scale quarantine of the entire Philippine island of Luzon to contain a fast-spreading coronavirus.
It’s a privilege parking attendant Benjamin Christopher, 53, didn’t have as he guided vehicles outside the grocery, a job that could earn him some P600 on a good day.
But it's not always the case and what he usually earns is barely enough for his wife and 3 young children, he said, wondering how they would get by with most establishments shut down during the month-long quarantine.
The prospects could be worse for the poorest of the poor, who will be confined to home quarantine unless they had to go out to buy food and for other essentials.
To minimize exposure to the new coronavirus, families were told to assign a representative, who would purchase groceries good for a week, an arrangement that might not work for those whose meals depend on whether they had income for the day.
“If those people are made to stay home due to the quarantine, they will most likely need support and social safety nets,” professor Ronald Mendoza, dean of the Manila-based Ateneo School of Government, told ABS-CBN News.
“Otherwise they will continue to try to seek work.”
NO WORK, NO PAY
Which apparently happened the morning after President Rodrigo Duterte announced that he was expanding the initial Metro Manila-wide quarantine to cover the rest of Luzon.
Workers clogged border checkpoints trying to enter Metro Manila. Within the capital region, others also took a chance even if mass transportation was suspended.
“They face ‘no work, no pay’ conditions, so they will likely comply with the quarantine only if their incomes are somehow guaranteed,” Mendoza said, citing the predicament of those in the informal sector comprising around 16 million of the country’s workforce.
These include street vendors and pedicab drivers, who enjoy no “adequate social protection,” which could come in the form of “unconditional cash transfers, subsidies on essential goods and tax payment rescheduling, or outright relief,” he said.
All these, he said, were meant to “stretch the purchasing power of already cash-strapped households” now forced to go in quarantine.
STIMULUS PACKAGE
The government has announced measures to assist such families, with the president reminding local governments to provide food relief with help from the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
A P27.1-billion funding will also be made available to cushion the impact of COVID-19 on workers, especially those in the tourism industry, which was heavily hit by the massive drop in tourist arrivals.
In Congress, a number of legislators have filed bills pushing for various amounts of stimulus packages, including one worth P108 billion proposed by Marikina Rep, Stella Quimbo.
Cagayan De Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez’s proposal pools an additional P23 billion for workers and businesses affected by the spread COVID-19, which has infected 187 people as of Tuesday.
Rep. Joey Salceda, chairman of the ways and means committee, said his office did the math and projected that the Luzon lockdown “will prevent up to 26,500 more infections by May 4.”
Without the measure, mass transmission of the coronavirus would shave 4.13 percent off the GDP, while a lockdown would decrease it by 2.95 percent, he said.
“It saves lives and saves the economy,” Salceda said in a statement, describing the lockdown as both game-changing and life-saving.”
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MANILA - Ousted Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno on Friday said she rejected earlier "offers" to have a dialogue with President Rodrigo Duterte to mend ties and ask for the withdrawal of the impeachment complaint and quo warranto petition filed against her.
"May mga offer. May mga ideya na ganyan na ang solusyon sa problema ay pakikipag-usap o pagbabati," Sereno told reporters without divulging who volunteered to set up a meeting between her and the president.
(There were offers. There were ideas floated that mending ties with Duterte would be the solution to my problems.)
Sereno said she turned down the offers and idea as she felt that it would compromise the judiciary's independence.
"Hindi ako nakipagkompromiso. Nanindigan ako. Kung ako ay nag-compromise dun, hihina ako (as chief justice)," she said.
(I did not compromise. I stood firm. If I compromised, I would become a weak chief justice.)
"Hindi puwede na ang politicians ang magsasabi o magdidikta sa bayan, kailangan Constitution," she said.
Sereno was ousted as top magistrate after 8 of her colleagues voted in favor of the Solicitor General's petition to nullify her appointment in 2012 for not submitting all her Statements of Assets Liabilities and Net worth (SALNs) when was applied for the post.
An impeachment case against Sereno is still pending at the House of Representatives where Duterte enjoys a "super majority," but the SC ruling makes it moot.
Sereno, the youngest and the first female chief justice of the Philippines, said she had no regrets that she brushed off the offer to "play politics" with the executive department.
"An outsider, reformer, and someone who is not willing to play politics should be anticipating this outcome," she said.
Earlier this year, Duterte said he considered Sereno his "enemy" after she urged him to explain why the government's lawyer was seeking the invalidation of her appointment.
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MANILA - A meeting between US President Donald Trump and Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte in Manila on Monday follows a stormy 16 months in their nations' decades-long alliance.
Here are 5 things to know about relations between the United States and one of its oldest allies in Asia.
FORMER COLONY
The Philippines went from centuries of Spanish rule to becoming a US colony in 1898 under the Treaty of Paris that was signed to end the Spanish-American war.
The colonial period began with a 3-year resistance, which claimed the lives of more than 20,000 Filipino nationalists and 4,200 American troops, according to US government historical records.
In 1941, Japanese forces invaded the Philippines and began more than three years of brutal occupation. The Americans later returned to liberate the nation and it gained independence in 1946, marking the start of a 71-year alliance.
TREATY ALLIES
The Philippines and the United States signed a mutual defense treaty in 1951 pledging to help each other if they were attacked by an external enemy.
The nation is one of only 2 American defense treaty allies in Southeast Asia, along with Thailand.
US-BACKED DICTATOR
Ferdinand Marcos ruled the Philippines for 20 years with US backing despite allegedly overseeing widespread rights abuses and embezzling up to $10 billion from state coffers.
The United States backed Marcos, who went from democratic hopeful to dictator, as he guaranteed strategic US bases in the Philippines and was seen as a bulwark against communism.
In 1986, a famous "People Power" uprising toppled Marcos, sending him and his family into exile in Hawaii.
SHUTTING BASES
Nearly a century of major US military presence ended in 1992 when the Philippines closed 2 of America's biggest Asian bases. The Filipino Senate rejected a treaty extension following rising popular sentiment against the United States.
However the Philippines' maritime dispute with China over the South China Sea, and US concerns over Islamic militancy in the restive south, brought the nation back into an American embrace.
The allies signed a Visiting Forces Agreement in 1998 and a 2014 accord that led to increased defence cooperation, including more annual joint military exercises.
DUTERTE TIRADES
Duterte's election last year brought a sudden reversal of the policy of his predecessor, Benigno Aquino.
The outspoken leader launched a war on drugs that was condemned by the administration of then-US President Barack Obama.
Duterte responded by announcing his "separation" from the United States and pursuing closer ties with China and Russia.
But Duterte has recently said the nations are "best of friends" again after receiving praise from Trump about the drug war.
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DUBLIN - A United Nations special rapporteur on Wednesday blamed neo-liberalism for unleashing violence worldwide, calling "the liberal vision for development" a killer in the community.
Agnes Callamard, UN Special Rapporteur on summary executions, said a one-size-fits-all model of economic development exacerbated inequality and was a factor in the rising tide of arbitrary executions and extrajudicial murders.
"The restructuring of economies and the liberal vision for development is trickling down to every community and is a killer, in many ways," Callamard told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in an interview in Dublin.
Yet she said it did not garner the same attention as political populism and brutal military-style policing, which make huge headlines for instigating violence worldwide.
"Privatisation of certain public services and the ownership of land and water, and more generally the transformation of the economy toward the digital and information economy... all of those factors are creating much instability, and much conflict, including over access to resources."
"In turn, those conflicts translate into violence, and in some cases, extra judicial killing," she added.
Proponents of "neo-liberalism" - under which governments take a back seat and let the private sector lead economic and social development - claim it has been responsible for much of the reduction in global poverty in the last 40 years.
But Callamard said a belief that natural resources must be privatised are "killing so many people" and must be challenged.
"We certainly need to start countering the liberal economic discourse because it's killing at this moment, in the way it's being implemented at national level."
TO THE DEATH
Speaking at the Platform on Human Rights Defenders, a conference for activists, Callamard said she was struck by how many people were attacked for protecting their land and water.
Last year was the deadliest on record for such activists, according to watchdog groups.
More than 1,000 people in 25 countries were murdered, harassed, imprisoned or intimidated while fighting for their community's rights, according to Front Line Defenders.
Another group, Global Witness, said nearly four people were murdered each week last year while defending their homes from mining, dams and agricultural projects.
This year is on track to be worse, according to activists.
Global Witness said the rising violence was driven by an intensifying fight for land and natural resources, with some mining, logging, hydro-electric and agricultural companies disregarding the environment and the rights of people.
Callamard was joined on a discussion panel by human rights defenders for Philippines, South Africa and Colombia, who each pointed to resources as a root cause of violent conflicts between local communities and state-backed big business.
MANY SHAPES OF GROWTH
In August, Callamard clashed with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte after imploring him to end his war on drugs, which has resulted in more than 3,900 killings by police.
But speaking in Dublin, she said she was equally concerned by violence outside the urban hotspots, where rural Filipinos opposing mining developments have met bloody reprisals.
Callamard called on charities and leaders at the conference to amplify the voices of indigenous people, whose own models of development can be ignored or dismissed as "anti-development".
"We need to understand that economic growth can take many shapes," said Callamard, lauding activists' different path.
Callamard urged support for legal challenges to unrestrained development, giving local communities new powers.
She highlighted recent decisions by courts in New Zealand and India to give rivers the same legal rights as human beings, because they were heavily threatened by human activity.
"These kind of decisions, they are groundbreaking, but they also challenge us in the way we think about nature," she said.
LIMITS OF LIBERALISM
Callamard joins a host of institutions that have called into question the limits of the liberal economic model, which has for 40 years dominated thought on economic development.
Last month, the UN trade and development agency UNCTAD said the world must ditch austerity and economic neo-liberalism and undertake a global “New Deal” to rebalance the global economy and achieve prosperity for all.
A paper in May of 2016 by senior economists at the IMF, which for 40 years has driven economic liberalization of global economies, said some neo-liberal policies have increased inequality and are now jeopardizing durable global growth.
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MANILA - Akbayan Partylist has conferred a symbolic “People’s Medal
of Valor” on Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales for pursuing the probe on
the wealth of President Rodrigo Duterte and his family.
The group lauded Morales for remaining headstrong in the face of the President's statements against her, including allegations of corruption in her agency.
“Kung si President Duterte ay sinasabi na he hates corruption, hindi siya dapat ma-threaten sa Ombudsman,” Akbayan Communications Officer Justine Balane said.
Akbayan also assailed administrative complaints filed by former lawmakers Jacinto Paras and Glenn Chong, and lawyers Manuelito Luna and Eligio Mallari, against Overall Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Carandang in relation the anti-graft agency's investigation of the Duterte case.
Akbayan also called on the public to support the Ombudsman's anti-corruption efforts.
“The Ombudsman is just doing her job. Why crucify her for that?," Akbayan Secretary General Kit Melgar said in a statement.
Morales earlier inhibited in the case as her nephew Manases Carpio is married to Duterte's daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte. But she said her office would pursue the investigation, citing the Ombudsman's constitutional duty.
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MANILA - Senator Antonio Trillanes IV on Wednesday accused Malacañang
of using intelligence funds to pay President Rodrigo Duterte's source
of "fake" information on his offshore accounts.
Trillanes, in a privilege speech on Tuesday, claimed that Malacañang paid P10 million to a certain Daniel "Snooky" Cruz for information on the lawmaker's alleged bank accounts, including one at the Development Bank of Singapore (DBS).
The senator recently flew to Singapore to prove that the account was non-existent.
"Nag-imbento po ng fake accounts ito at ibinenta sa Malacañang na binili naman and without verifying or validating ay isinubo nila kay Duterte. At itong isa naman ay iyun ang pinangangalandakan kaya nasunog siya nang ilang beses at napaaming inimbento nga niya. Ang nagbayad ay Malacañang, binili itong information," he told DZMM.
"Malamang galing iyan (P10 million) sa intelligence funds... Hindi naman bubunot ang mga iyan sa bulsa nila," the opposition lawmaker told DZMM.
Cruz, he said, gives security seminars for a living, but had pretended to be a financial forensic expert and former US agent.
The senator said Cruz also sold to authorities fake details on the bank accounts of Senator Leila de Lima, which were just identical to his supposed accounts.
He added that it is Duterte who is keeping millions of pesos in undeclared accounts and reiterated his challenge for the President to sign bank secrecy waivers.
Malacañang made no immediate comment about Cruz.
Duterte meanwhile has admitted he just invented bank details to "catch" Trillanes.
He later said Trillanes closed his DBS account "online" before going to Singapore. DBS however said accounts can only be closed in person at its branches.
Duterte has also said his family had properties and businesses including
an ice plant and lumberyard, adding his late father was a provincial
governor.
"All in all it would not go beyond 40 million (pesos or $785,000), my
lifetime savings. A part of that was my hereditary -- you people from
Davao know this -- property," Duterte said. "I hate to say it (but) what
do you think of us, poor? That we are that poor?"
The President, however, said he would not cooperate
with the Office of the Ombudsman's investigation into allegations that
he amassed ill-gotten wealth, saying these were "lies based on baseless"
information.
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MANILA - Thirty-nine member-states of the United Nations have expressed serious concern over alleged extra-judicial killings ocurring amid the Duterte administration's drug war.
The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (Forum-Asia) on Thursday said the member-states urged the Philippines to probe the killings and protect human rights defenders through a joint statement issued by Iceland.
The member-states urged the Philippines to "cooperate with the international community to pursue appropriate investigations into these incidents, in keeping with the universal principles of democratic accountability and the rule of law."
The Philippines did not fully accept more than half of the recommendations it received during the 36th session of its Universal Periodic Review at the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Forum-Asia reiterated Human Rights Watch's call for the U.N. Human Rights Council to step in and end the violent drug war if the Philippines will not comply with its international human rights responsibilities.
"If the situation in the country does not improve, the UN Human Rights Council must pass a resolution at its next session in March, establishing an international, independent investigation into killings associated with the 'war on drugs'," Forum-Asia executive director John Samuel said.
The following countries signed the joint statement: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, UK, Ukraine, and United States.
During the UN General Assembly, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano insisted that the Duterte administration's war on illegal drugs does not violate human rights and does not tolerate abuse of cops.
"The Philippines’ comprehensive campaign against illegal drugs is a
necessary instrument to preserve and protect human rights of all
Filipinos. It is never an instrument to violate any individuals' or
groups' human rights," he said.
Latest police estimates placed the number of drug suspects slain in legitimate police operations at 3,800.
The Duterte administration has repeatedly denied that extrajudicial killings are state-sponsored.--Report from Mike Navallo, ABS-CBN News
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MANILA- President Rodrigo Duterte's move of inventing bank account numbers to "catch" his critic, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV simply made no sense, a political analyst said Wednesday.
Former dean of the Ateneo School of Government, lawyer Tony La Viña, said Duterte's credibility may be questioned after he admitted that he lied.
"It doesn’t make sense. There’s no bait there. It actually gave Sen. Trillanes an opportunity to have a propaganda coup," La Viña said in an interview on ANC.
"Shouldn't we now not believe in anything that he says? That seems to be the message here: 'Don’t always believe me'," he added.
The President earlier publicly alleged
that Trillanes had offshore accounts, prompting the senator to fly to
Singapore to prove that his supposed bank accounts there did not exist.
Hours after Trillanes' Singapore trip, Duterte said he intentionally gave the wrong number of the senator's alleged bank account to “catch” the senator for lying.
La Viña said Duterte was on the losing end of his scuffle with Trillanes since the President did not have to go down to the level of his critics.
"He made himself equal to a senator. He doesn’t have to do this… Why does he go down to the level of his critic and in a lower position than him?" La Viña said.
Trillanes on the other hand, was able to make use of Duterte's lie to better his political image since he knew from the start that the President was lying, La Viña explained.
"Of course Sen. Trillanes knew this was fake. He would know his own account number if there was such. And since there’s none, he exploited to the maxim with all the visuals," he a said.
"I think Trillanes came very, very well from this episode. [It appeared that] here’s a good-looking senator, young, and he goes after a powerful president… that’s what he does and that’s what comes out," he added.
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MANILA - One of three police officers linked to the shooting of 17-year-old Kian Delos Santos pointed to his colleague as having shot the teenager during the August 16 operation in Caloocan.
Speaking before a Senate inquiry, PO1 Jerwin Cruz said it was PO3 Arnel Oares who shot Delos Santos based on the ballistic report.
"Sa operation, magkakasama po kami," Cruz said under questioning by Sen. Manny Pacquiao.
Oares, meanwhile, refused to answer until he had consulted his own lawyer.
An investigator who prepared the spot report of the shooting said all 3 police officers - Cruz, Oares and PO1 Jeremias Pereda claimed it was Delos Santos who first drew a gun and fired.
Asked if they confirm that Delos Santos had a gun, Pereda said they could not see because it was dark.
"Sir, kasi po madilim nun, hindi namin alam kung…kasi pinutukan niya lang po kami," he told Senator Bam Aquino.
"Alam po naming na baril yun, Sir, dahil malakas yung pagkakaputok. Nakita na rin namin na may kapirasong ilaw dun," he added.
According to results of the autopsy by the Public Attorneys Office (PAO) forensic laboratory, Delos Santos sustained a gunshot wound to his back, to the back of his left ear, and one inside his left ear.
The location of the gunshot wounds to his ears showed that Delos Santos was on the ground when he was shot, the office said.
This was later contradicted by the PNP Crime Laboratory, which said Delos Santos sustained two gunshot wounds to the head, in his left ear.
It confirmed the downward trajectory of the gunshots but stressed that the direction does not automatically mean that the teen was on the ground when he was shot, as claimed by a forensic scientist from PAO.
Public outrage has been growing over Delos Santos' death, which has been decried as a summary execution under the administration's war on illegal drugs.
President Rodrigo Duterte has also said those liable would be answerable and put in jail if a rubout is proven.
At the start of the hearing, all 3 policemen linked to the killing refused to answer questions from senators for lack of legal counsel.
Cruz and Pereda later agreed to testify after Atty. Faye Dizon, a lawyer from the Senate's Legal Counsel, was tapped to temporary represent them on Thursday.
During the hearing, Sen. Pacquiao said the refusal of the 3 cops to answer questions makes them look guilty.
"Kung hindi kayo magsasalita rito, ang taumbayan nanonood ngayon, guilting-guitly na kayo. Ito yung pagkakataon na ipaliwanag nyo yung part ninyo. Ito ang pagkakataon na pwede ninyong sabihin na hindi lahat ng ginawa ninyo ay mali," he said.
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Citizens cry for justice over the death of 17-year-old Kian Loyd Delos Santos, during a protest at the EDSA People Power Monument in Quezon City on Monday. Human rights groups have criticized the Duterte administration for the conduct of the government’s campaign against illegal drugs, which allegedly resulted in death of people like Delos Santos, who was shot dead during a police raid in Caloocan City last August 16.
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MANILA - President Rodrigo Duterte has signed the bill granting free tuition in state colleges and universities, Deputy Executive Secretary Menardo Guevarra said.
Duterte signed the law ahead of the 30-day period given under the Constitution before the bill lapses into a law.
Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno, reacting to the passage of the bill, emphasized that it will be "prospective, not retroactive."
He said he will first have to estimate the cost of the program's implementation in the first semester of school year 2018-2019 to determine how much can be funded from the 2018 budget.
"We may have to consider disallowing use of income by SUCs. If worse comes to worst, we may consider asking for supplemental budget," he said in a statement.
The President signed the bill despite the reluctance of some members of his economic team on the proposed measure due to the cost that will be entailed in funding free tertiary education.
Guevarra, however, said the President considered the long-term benefits that the free tuition and other fees will give to the public.
“Free tertiary education in SUCs is a very strong pillar or cornerstone of the President’s social development policy,” Guevarra said in a news conference in Pasay City.
“He weighed everything and came to the conclusion that the long-term benefits that will be derived from the well-developed tertiary education on the part of the citizenry will definitely outweigh any short-term budgetary challenges.”
Diokno earlier said the government may not be able to shoulder the cost
of granting free tuition in SUCs. He said the government may have to shell out P100 billion annually if the bill passes into law.
Guevarra, however, said Diokno’s estimate may have been based on the the assumption that all the aspects of the law, including the non-mandatory provisions, will be implemented all at the same time.
Citing data from the Commission on Higher Education, Guevarra said an initial amount of P16 billion may be needed to fund the mandatory provisions of the law, such as the grant of free tuition and miscellaneous fees.
“That’s manageable,” he said in a chance interview.
He added that Congress, which is now deliberating the proposed budget for 2018, will now have to put into consideration the newly passed law.
“The President has already submitted the National Expenditure Program, but during the budget deliberations, anything can still happen. Certain adjustments can be made, possibly a reallocation can be done,” Guevarra said.
He added the government is also hoping to get official development assistance and grants from local and international donors for the implementation of the law.
While the law will take effect 15 days after its publication in a newspaper of general circulation, the benefits under it may be felt in the next enrolment.
Guevarra said the grant of other educational expenses such as books, board and lodging, student loans, and scholarships, will have to be subsidized by a fund to be established by the Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UNIFAST) board.
“As far as I understand, these are not the mandatory provisions. When the student enrols in a state college, it does not mean he will have all of this at the same time,” he said.
He also noted that those who will be given free educational expenses apart from tuition should belong to the “bottom 20 percent” of the student population.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday described North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a "fool" and a "son of a bitch," just days before Manila hosts an international meeting certain to address Pyongyang's long-range missile tests.
Duterte held nothing back in rebuking Kim for "playing with dangerous toys," setting the stage for next week's rare get-together, to be attended by foreign ministers of all the countries involved in the standoff on the Korean peninsula.
North Korea is determined to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the United States and officials in Washington said Saturday's test of an intercontinental ballistic missile showed it may be able to reach most of the country.
"This Kim Jong Un, a fool ... he is playing with dangerous toys, that fool," Duterte told tax officials in a speech.
"That chubby face that looks kind. That son of a bitch. If he commits a mistake, the Far East will become an arid land. It must be stopped, this nuclear war.
"A limited confrontation and it blows up here, I will tell you, the fallout can deplete the soil, the resources and I don't know what will happen to us."
This year, Duterte is chairman of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and on Monday his foreign minister will host the ASEAN Regional Forum, which brings together 27 countries that include Australia, China, India, Japan, Russia, North and South Korea and the United States.
It was not the first time Duterte has criticiZed Kim over his nuclear ambitions. In April he questioned his sanity and urged the United States to show restraint and not be baited by a man who "wants to end the world."
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who is due to attend the Manila meeting, on Tuesday said he wanted dialogue with North Korea at some point, stressing it was not the enemy and the United States did not seek to topple the regime. (Reporting by Martin Petty and Neil Jerome Morales; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
source: news.abs-cbn.com
Local mining stocks will be on the spotlight after President Rodrigo Duterte made a stern warning against irresponsible miners during his second State of the Nation Address (SONA). But ahead of that much-awaited speech, Philippine shares closed lower. - Business Nightly, ANC, July 24, 2017
source: news.abs-cbn.com
MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday delivered the
second-longest State of the Nation Address (SONA) recorded after the
1986 EDSA Revolution.
The President’s speech lasted for 120 minutes, double the 50 minutes it was estimated to last, as the chief executive broke from what the teleprompter flashed by delivering jokes and impromptu remarks.
Duterte’s first SONA ran for more than 90 minutes, with 9,561 words.
Former President Benigno Aquino III’s 2015 SONA still holds the record for the longest SONA, post-EDSA at 135 minutes with 11,700 words, according to ABS-CBN News research.
The late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, meanwhile, holds the record for
the longest SONA in terms of word count, with 29,335 words, according to
Malacañan.
Duterte tackled environmental issues, tax reform, peace negotiations with communist rebels, and reiterated his fight against illegal drugs among others in his second SONA.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
JAKARTA - Indonesia's President Joko Widodo has instructed law enforcement officers to shoot drug traffickers to deal with a narcotics emergency facing the country.
"Be firm, especially to foreign drug dealers who enter the country and resist arrest. Shoot them because we indeed are in a narcotics emergency position now," Widodo said in a speech delivered at an event held by one of Indonesia's political parties late on Friday.
His remarks have drawn comparison to that of Philippine's President Rodrigo Duterte, who launched a brutal anti-drug crackdown about a year ago that saw many alleged drug dealers killed.
The bloody campaign in the Philippines has drawn condemnation from the international community, including the United Nations.
Indonesia also has tough laws against drugs. Widodo has previously been criticized for ordering executions against convicted drug traffickers who were given a death penalty by the court. Rights activists and some governments have called on Indonesia to abolish the death penalty.
Friday's shooting order from Widodo came a week after Indonesian police shot dead a Taiwanese man in a town near the capital Jakarta.
The man, who was part of a group trying to smuggle one tonne of crystal methamphetamine into the country, was killed for resisting arrest, police have said.
After the incident, Indonesian National Police chief Tito Karnavian was quoted by media saying he had ordered officers not to hesitate shooting drug dealers who resist arrest.
Reporting by Jakarta bureau; Writing by Gayatri Suroyo; Editing by Shri Navaratnam
source: news.abs-cbn.com
MANILA– President Rodrigo Duterte was his usual fiery self when he delivered a speech Friday in his home city of Davao, but something went wrong.
Video of the speech aired live on state-run PTV-4 and the Presidential Communications Operations Office’s Facebook page showed the President giving his speech with the presidential seal on his rostrum upside down.
The gaffe occurred during the 11th Ambassador’s Tour Philippine Reception at the SMX Convention Center in Davao City.
For those who followed the broadcast, the error was observed until around the third minute of the live video, when the shot zoomed in on the President, cropping the seal out of the frame.
The circular presidential seal, adopted during the time of President Manuel Roxas, should be placed with the text “Sagisag ng Pangulo ng Pilipinas” positioned at the upper portion and the three stars at the bottom of the rim.
According to historian Manuel L. Quezon III, the
presidential seal is composed of the coat of arms of the President of
the Philippines, surrounded by the legend “Seal of the President of the
Philippines” (“Sagisag ng Pangulo ng Pilipinas”).
"The blue circle is the shield; on the shield is a red
triangle (representing liberty, equality, and fraternity, the ideals of
the French and Philippine revolutions and our republic), on which is a
sea lion and three stars," he said on his blog.
Only the President uses the rostrum with the Presidential seal at any event.
Duterte’s speech lasted for about an hour, in which he again tackled his war on drugs, corruption, and the ongoing siege in Marawi City.
In his speech, Duterte again stressed that it is not a crime to threaten to kill drug suspects.
“Find me a law - wherever you come from - point out to me a law in your country and in my country, which says you cannot threaten a criminal from destroying your country,” said Duterte, a former prosecutor.
“Is there a law which says you cannot do it? Is there a law which says that you cannot blurt such statements as, ‘Do not bring our children to perdition because you’ll not only lose your funds, you’ll lose your life'?" he said.
Duterte had made similar statements before, but he raised the matter again after the country’s top graft-buster, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales, issued her sharpest criticism yet of the President's tough rhetoric.
The President, however, did not make a direct reference to Morales, whose nephew Mans Carpio is married to Duterte's daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.
How Ombudsman is related to Duterte
In an interview with Japanese public network NHK, Morales said Duterte seems to be “goading people to kill people.”
“That's a problem. His communications people say ‘that's hyperbole.’ You know, they try to rationalize whatever he says, so whether or not the police or whoever he addresses these words, believe him. That's a different story. The directive to kill people under any situation irrespective of the context, to me, that's not acceptable.” Morales said.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
