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Solon wants PHL Coast Guard presence at Panatag Shoal

 News
Feb 262014
 
Solon wants PHL Coast Guard presence at Panatag Shoal

Coast Guard personnel should be deployed to the disputed Scarborough (Panatag) Shoal if the government wants to assert Philippine presence in the area being claimed by China as its own, a lawmaker said Wednesday. ACT-Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio said the Coast Guard’s presence at the shoal might deter Chinese authorities from harassing Filipino fishermen in the disputed waters. “The mere presence of government forces, even civilian forces there, will change the [situation] and can make the Chinese forces think twice before doing what they did,” Tinio said in a press briefing. “Siyempre dahil mag-isa lang, yung mga mangingisda natin doon, mas madaling nagawa yung pag-bomba sa kanila ng water cannon. Pero kung may puwersa ng gobyerno natin doon, baka maiba yung situwasyon,” he added. Armed Forces chief Gen. Emmanuel Bautista revealed on Monday that a Chinese coast guard vessel drove away two Filipino fishing vessels from the area last January 27 by firing water cannons at them. President Benigno Aquino III has demanded an explanation from China regarding the incident and directed the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to file a “diplomatic message.” The Chinese Embassy in Manila, however, rejected the Philippine protest and declared it has “indisputable sovereignty” over the waters where the incident occurred. The Philippine government has declared that the shoal, which is facing the South China Sea, is within the country’s exclusive economic zone as mandated by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea – an agreement signed by 163 nations, including Read More …

After being hospitalized, Bangayan goes to DOJ to answer perjury raps

 News
Feb 262014
 
After being hospitalized, Bangayan goes to DOJ to answer perjury raps

After skipping a Senate inquiry on rice smuggling last Monday, businessman Davidson Bangayan on Wednesday dropped by the Department of Justice to answer charges of perjury that the Senate had filed against him. “Nag-submit lang siya ng counter-affidavit and he subscribed it before the investigating prosecutors,” said Prosecutor General Claro Arellano, head of the DOJ’s National Prosecution Service. Bangayan, who is said to be big-time rice smuggler David Tan, swore to the truthfulness of his counter-affidavit in front of prosecuting attorney Loverhette Villordon. Arellano also said Bangayan is not expected to show up on Thursday’s preliminary investigation on the perjury complaint at 10 a.m. Villordon refused to provide media copies of the counter-affidavit yet, but said copies could be given right after Thursday’s preliminary probe. Bangayan was accompanied at the DOJ by his legal counsel Alejandro Ovenas. Bangayan skipped last Monday’s Senate inquiry on rice smuggling after being hospitalized due to back pain. According to his lawyer, Bangayan’s blood pressure shot up and he had difficulty walking over the weekend, causing the controversial trader to be brought to the Laoag General Hospital. On Feb. 7, the Senate filed its 11-page complaint against Bangayan for supposedly lying about his identity during a congressional probe on rice smuggling. Bangayan was accused of violating of Article 183 of the Revised Penal Code, which refers to “False testimony in other cases and perjury in solemn affirmation.” Senate agriculture committee chairwoman Cynthia Villar said her panel decided to cite Bangayan for contempt after he repeatedly Read More …

Court allows Napoles to undergo medical checkup

 News
Feb 242014
 
Court allows Napoles to undergo medical checkup

Detained businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles, the alleged mastermind in the P10-billion pork barrel scam, will undergo transvaginal ultrasound and other medical tests on Wednesday, February 26, a Makati court said Monday. Judge Elmo Alameda of Makati Regional Trial Court branch 150 allowed Napoles’ request for a comprehensive medical examination to check a cyst on her ovary. The judge ordered the Philippine National Police regional office 4-A, which has custody over Napoles, to transfer her from her detention cell in Fort Sto. Domingo in Laguna to Camp Crame General Hospital Quezon City. Napoles earlier requested the court that she undergo a comprehensive gynecological test, a transvaginal ultrasound examination, a comprehensive medical checkup, as well as to be admitted to a reputable hospital. She initially wanted to have the checkup at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Taguig City, but her lawyer and the government prosecutors agreed during the hearing on Monday to have it at Camp Crame hospital. Napoles has been in detention since August last year over a serious illegal detention case filed by her former employee Benhur Luy, a whistleblower in the pork barrel scam case. She is also facing plunder complaints before the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with the scam and the alleged misuse of Malampaya funds. In their motion filed last week, Napoles’ counsel Fay Isaguirre Singson said her client has ovarian tumor. She said Napoles has been experiencing profuse bleeding since October, hypoglycemia, weight loss, chest pain and abdominal pain. “Accused humbly begs the kindness and Read More …

House bill seeks to name Clark airport after Cory Aquino

 News
Feb 242014
 
House bill seeks to name Clark airport after Cory Aquino

A proposal to rename Clark International Airport after former President Corazon Aquino, the late mother of President Benigno Aquino III, is currently being studied at the House of Representatives. House Bill No. 321, filed in July 2013 by Pampanga Rep. Joseller “Yeng” Guiao, seeks to rename Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) into the Corazon C. Aquino International Authority (CCAIA). A technical working group (TWG) has been created to study the bill following preliminary deliberations on Feb. 19 by the joint committee on government enterprises and privatization, and transportation. In the bill’s explanatory note, Guiao stressed the need to develop a more stable and streamlined authority to manage Clark International Airport since plans to develop it into a world-class international airport has been hampered by the “inadequate powers and functions” exercised by CIAC. The lawmaker said the creation of CCAIA will “ensure the development of [Clark International Airport] as the Philippines’ next premier international airport.” No statement has been provided in the bill, however, to explain why the airport should be named after the President’s late mother. Guiao has not yet issued a comment on his bill as of posting time. Clark International Airport was previously renamed into the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport during the time of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The airport was reverted back to its old name in 2012. Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), the country’s premier international airport, was named after Pres. Aquino’s late father, Benigno Aquino Jr., who was assassinated at the tarmac of what used Read More …

Senate leaders: Funds for oversight panels not ending up in senators’ pockets

 News
Feb 242014
 
Senate leaders: Funds for oversight panels not ending up in senators’ pockets

Millions of pesos being allocated to Senate oversight committees are not ending up in senators’ pockets, Senate leaders said Monday. In a radio interview, Senate President Franklin Drilon said the annual budget for each of the chamber’s 24 oversight committees are all accounted for. “I can tell you, nagko-comply ang lahat ng mga senador. In fact, hirap na hirap mag-liquidate ng mga budget ng bawat komite,” Drilon said told radio dzRH. He added that oversight committees are required to present receipts and certifications for all their fund releases. A Philippine Star report published earlier in the day said the Commission on Audit (COA) recently sent a memorandum reminding senators on the proper use of funds for oversight committees. Oversight committees are created to check the implementation of specific laws. Some existing oversight panels include those tasked to monitor the Clean Air Act, the Overseas Voting Act and the Anti-Money Laundering Law. Audited, liquidated The reported COA memorandum came out amid accusations that Senators Ramon Bong Revilla Jr., Juan Ponce Enrile and Jinggoy Estrada pocketed millions in their pork barrel funds. The three lawmakers have repeatedly denied these allegations. In a separate statement, Senate secretary Oscar Yabes said that although he has not yet seen the COA memorandum, the issues being raised on the budget of oversight panels “have been addressed already.” Yabes added that funds for these committees go to salaries of staff members and consultans, and not to the pockets of senators who chair the panels. “The Senate is Read More …

De Lima: No need for TESDA chief to leave post yet

 News
Feb 242014
 
De Lima: No need for TESDA chief to leave post yet

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Monday said former Citizens’ Battle Against Corruption (CIBAC) party-list Rep. Joel Villanueva, does not necessarily have to leave his government post just yet after being dragged into the P10-billion pork barrel fund mess.  Villanueva is currently the director general of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority. De Lima had said last week that Villanueva’s name appeared on the list prepared by former Technology Resource Center director general Dennis Cunanan, the government’s newest witness in the pork barrel scam case. The list supposedly contained the names of those who gave their pork barrel funds to bogus non-government organizations linked to alleged scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles. “No case has been filed vs Joel Villanueva, hence, no legal compulsion for him to go on leave,” De Lima told reporters on Monday. The Justice chief added that the National Bureau of Investigation, which is under the Department of Justice, was still “evaluating” the former lawmaker on his supposed role in the fund mess. Villanueva had already denied the accusation. “Sana tigilan na po ang pagdawit sa akin sa kontrobersiyang ito,” Villanueva said in a text message to GMA News. “Wala po akong kinalaman dito kaya wala akong kaso hanggang ngayon.” Villanueva also denied personally knowing Cunanan. —KG, GMA News

House passes bill on disposition of idle gov’t-owned lands

 News
Feb 232014
 
House passes bill on disposition of idle gov’t-owned lands

The House of Representatives has approved on third and final reading a measure outlining how idle government-owned land should be evaluated and possibly used for socialized housing. The measure, known as the Idle Government-Owned Lands Disposition Act of 2013, will be transmitted to the Senate for further deliberation. Under the proposed law, the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) is mandated to coordinate with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to conduct an inventory of all idle government-owned lands that have not been used in the last 10 years for the purpose for which they have been reserved. The National Housing Authority (NHA) and the Land Management Bureau (LMB) will be required to identify and set aside inventories of these idle government lands—the lists of which will be provided by the HUDCC—that are suitable for socialized housing. Local government units (LGUs) shall then identify and set aside inventoried idle government lands owned by the local government that are suitable for socialized housing, with the assistance from the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB). According to the bill, at least 10 percent of government-owned lands not set aside for socialized housing must be sold, alienated and encumbered for development purposes. As an alternative, at least 10 percent of the proceeds of the sale of government-owned idle lands should be allocated to socialized housing projects. Employees from the government agency that facilitated the sale of idle land and who have low wages shall be given first priority as Read More …

Palace stands by former PNP exec on martial law victims' claims board

 News
Feb 232014
 
Palace stands by former PNP exec on martial law victims' claims board

Malacañang on Sunday thanked former senator Joker Arroyo for his opinion, but said it stands behind the appointment of a former police officer as head of the Human Rights Victims’ Claims Board. “We respect the views of former Senator Joker Arroyo who [was] an ardent freedom fighter and human rights advocate in the Martial Law period. Nagkakaiba lang po ang pananaw niya sa pananaw ng ating Pangulo sa paghirang kay General Lina Sarmiento,” Communications Secretary Sonny Coloma said in an interview aired over state-run dzRB. Arroyo earlier rejected Sarmiento’s appointment, saying she did not meet the minimum standards set by the Human Rights Victims’ Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013. “General Sarmiento, whatever her qualifications in the field of human rights violations might be today, cannot have any track record of involvement in or understanding or knowledge of the human rights situation during the martial law period,” Arroyo wrote in his open letter to Aquino, published by the Philippine Daily Inquirer.  But Coloma explained that President Aquino has a deep understanding of the nature of the job that Sarmiento has to accomplish, being a survivor of Martial Law abuse himself. “Si Pangulong Aquino ay mayroon pong malalim at malawak na pag-unawa diyan sa usapin ng human rights dahil sa kanyang personal na karanasan at sa naranasan na rin po ng kanyang pamilya sa buong kaganapan ng Martial Law at ito po ay isinaalang-alang din niya sa pagpili ng mga kasapi ng Claims Board,” he said. “Doon po sa batas na Read More …

PNP: Arrest of Sinaloa leader a ‘major blow’ vs. flow of drugs to PHL

 News
Feb 232014
 
PNP: Arrest of Sinaloa leader a ‘major blow’ vs. flow of drugs to PHL

The Philippine National Police on Sunday welcomed the arrest of the leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa drug cartel, saying it could delay or even stop the cartels’ expansion to the Philippines. Police Chief Superintendent Theodore Sindac, PNP spokesman, said a vacuum in leadership caused by the arrest of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman could lead to a halt in the flow of illegal drugs that Sinaloa has reportedly been bringing to the country. “This will be a major blow to their operation, and that includes here in the Philippines. We welcome this development,” he said. The PNP’s Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force confirmed the existence of the Sinaloa drug cartel in the country after P400 million in methamphetamine was seized in a raid in Batangas in December 2013. The raid was followed by the arrests of two people linked to Sinaloa in operations in the southern part of Metro Manila.  Sindac said, though, some people may try to keep the Sinaloa drug operation going. Police will be on the lookout for them, but Sindac said authorities are focused on Chinese drug syndicates, which have bigger operations. Guzman was captured in the Mexican resort town of Mazatlan on Saturday by Mexican Navy personnel. — JDS, GMA News

Palace: No special consideration for PSG member caught using cloned ATM card

 News
Feb 232014
 
Palace: No special consideration for PSG member caught using cloned ATM card

There will be no special treatment for a member of the Presidential Security Group who was caught using a cloned automated teller machine (ATM) card, Malacañang stressed Sunday. Presidential Communications Operations Office head Herminio Coloma Jr. said PSG member Raphael Marcial will have to face the consequences of his actions. “Meron naman pong mga sinusunod na patakaran ang AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) at ang PSG hinggil sa appropriate disciplinary actions at ito po ay ipatutupad,” he said on government-run dzRB radio. Earlier reports said Marcial, a member of Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class 2008, was arrested during a surveillance operation where he was caught using a cloned ATM card. Coloma said PSG head Commodore Raul Ubando issued a relief order on Marcial, who will undergo inquest proceedings in Manila. “Tinitiyak lang ng PSG na iyong paggalang sa kanyang mga karapatan, sa kanyang mga legal rights. Pagkatapos po non, depende sa magiging findings ng inquest,” he said. Coloma added PSG members, like all government employees, are expected to be law-abiding citizens at all times. “They must face the consequences of their actions in accordance with the law,” he said. — LBG, GMA News

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