Maniolas

More high value inmates could follow the 20 drug convicts that were transferred to an undisclosed facility after the latter were found to be living too comfortably and amid reports that they were continuing their drug transactions inside the Maximum Security Compound of the New Bilibid Prison, GMA News’ “24 Oras” reported on Monday. “Kung may mga high risk and high value inmates na hindi pa nakasama ngayon baka isusunod namin. Hindi kasi magagawa yan hanggat physically nandito sila kasi proktetado sila nga mga gang kaya inaalis muna namin sila temporarily,” Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said. All luxury items found in the special holding areas or “kubol” in NBP were confiscated, including a flat TV, home theater, LCD projector,  jacuzzi, sauna facility, sound system, air-conditioner system, router, internet connection, cellphones, soaps and lotions, expensive shoes, sunglasses and watches, cash, guns, and even sex toys. The NBP has until Saturday to demolish all four “kubol.” De Lima said NBP personnel who colluded with inmates will be held liable. “Ayaw ko na muna magsabi ngayon kung ano ang balak ko… because certainly talaga namang sobra ang naging kapabayaan,” she said. NBP superintendent Roberto Rabo is not new at the NBP but he was still shocked that there were luxurious items found inside the prison. He was then six months in his post as the head of minimum security compound  when reports came out that former Batangas governor Antonio Leviste freely go in and out of the NBP. “Mukhang sobra, kasi bawal po ‘yan. Kunwari ang dalaw pag meron silang Read More …

The murder case of transgender woman Jeffrey “Jennifer” Laude is a case test on how the Philippine justice system would respond to crimes against the members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. Thus, said various LGBT groups on Monday after the Olongapo City Prosecutors Office filed a murder charge against US Private First Class Joseph Scott Pemberton. “This case is a litmus test for our judicial process, whether it can ensure fair, transparent, and independent investigation and trial not just for Jennifer’s killing, but also for other instances of violence and discrimination experienced by Filipino LGBTs,” LGBT rights groups said in a statement. The statement was signed by representatives of UP Babaylan, CURLS Cebu, Society of Transsexual Women of the Philippines (STRAP), Gayon Albay, TLF Share Inc., Babaylanes Inc., and AKBAYAN LGBT Collective.  The groups Gender and Development Advocates (GANDA) Filipinas, Outrage Magazine, Task Force Pride, Rainbow Rights Philippines, University of the Philippines Diliman Student Council also signed the statement.  While members of the LGBT welcome the murder case, they said it should not only be a case test for the Philippine-US military agreement or the Visiting Forces Agreement. “Justice in this particular case cannot simply be limited to putting the perpetrator behind bars,  or to an overhaul of Philippine-US military agreement,” it read. On October 11, Jennifer, 26, was found dead inside a motel bathroom after succumbing to asphyxia due to drowning. According to witnesses, Pemberton was the last person she was seen with.  The groups said Read More …

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Agriculture is mulling the use of more regular radio programs in the dissemination of information on rural development projects. Following the success of CHARM2-On-Air, the official radio program of the Second Cordillera Highland Agricultural Resource Management (CHARM), the department now wants to increase the use of radio programs to inform, educate and update the beneficiaries of its ongoing and upcoming rural development projects. Through the use of radio programs, the department would also be able to update project beneficiaries and other listeners on the activities, strategies, approaches, scope and parameters of DA projects. “It can be a good way to solicit public understanding.  It may be true that we are already in the com- puter age, but remote provincial areas do not have access to wifi. Radio requires only a small battery and a transistor so even at sea or in the fields, our farmers and fisherfolk will still get information on our programs,” said Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala. CHARM2-On-Air is aired on local radio stations in four provinces in the Cordillera Administrative Region such Abra, Benguet, Kalinga and Mountain Province. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Part of the radio program is CHARM2 School-On-Air which aims to help project beneficiaries come up with informed decisions by providing them with relevant information. Alcala said this sharpens the beneficiaries’ analytical perspectives as they undertake decisions that lead to improved farm management, better yield for the farmers, improved nutrition for the consumers and Read More …

The Senate is seeking to approve a bill that would impose stiff penalties on coin hoarders in the country. Sen. Sergio Osmeña III, chairman of the Senate committee on banks, financial institutions and currencies, pointed out that the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has uncovered the presence of syndicates that hoard coins for use as raw materials for various products that are in demand in several industries. All Philippine coins are made of various alloys of copper, brass, nickel, aluminum or steel and with the rising values of these metals, Osmeña noted that this has encouraged syndicates to hoard and export coins. The BSP has reported a shortage in coins since 2004 and replacing these for local circulation would entail a significant cost on the economy. Osmeña clarified though that the proposed measure would cover only individuals or groups engaged in the large-scale hoarding and exportation of coins, which syndicates smelt and convert for use as raw materials for mobile phones, computers or other industrial applications. It would not cover “piggy bank” savings and businesses using coins to operate, like vending machines and “piso” nets. Osmeña, who is also the author of Senate Bill No. 2452, or the proposed Anti-Hoarding of Philippine Legal Tender Coins Act, said “people who save their coins and place them in piggy banks will not be jailed because the volume is so small.” “The measure targets large-scale hoarders who sell the coins abroad to be melted down because the intrinsic value of the metal is more Read More …

(Updated 2:30 p.m.) A suspect in the ambush that wounded Iligan Rep. Vincent Belmonte Jr. last Thursday was arrested Saturday morning in Laguindingan town in Misamis Oriental. Police identified the suspect as Dominador Tumala, 52, of Sergio Osmeña in Zamboanga del Norte. Police received tips regarding Tumala, who did not have a consistent backstory and carried a firearm upon arrest, GMA News TV’s Balitanghali reported Saturday. He was identified as one of the suspects depicted in the artist sketches revealed by the National Bureau of Investigation on GMA’s Saksi Friday night. Balitanghali reported that witnesses confirmed Tumala’s involvement in the crime. Killed in the ambush were at least three people. Three others, including Belmonte, were wounded. Earlier, the Philippine National Police Northern Mindanao formed a special task group to probe the incident. Belmonte earlier said he believes politics could be the motive behind the ambush. —Joel Locsin and Rie Takumi/KG, GMA News