Drilon urges Palace: Tell other Cabinet execs to ‘stop talking’ for Duterte

 Entertainment
Sep 192016
 
Drilon urges Palace: Tell other Cabinet execs to ‘stop talking’ for Duterte

President Rodigo Duterte shares a light moment with businessman Ramon Ang, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, and Alfonso Tan during the wedding of Waldo and Regine Carpio at San Agustin Church in Intramurous, Manila on September 16. (MNS photo) MANILA, Sept 19 (Mabuhay) — Saying Malacañang looked ridiculous for appearing to have too many spokespersons, Senator Franklin Drilon on Monday urged the Executive Secretary to issue an order telling Cabinet officials to “stop talking” for President Rodrigo Duterte. During the budget presentation of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO), headed by Secretary Martin Andanar, before the Senate Committee on Finance, Drilon raised Malacañang’s problem in “message discipline.” “We cannot deny the fact that for the past three months, ang daming nagsasalita para sa Pangulo and I think your job, Mr. Secretary, is one of the most difficult in the government today because marami pong gustong sumali sa inyong katungkulan,” Drilon told Andanar. Drilon said the public’s perception is that the set-up of Malacañang’s communications office is “merely in shambles.” Andanar agreed with Drilon that there were too many officials speaking for Duterte. He said he asked for Duterte’s support in last week’s Cabinet meeting to allow the PCOO to speak first on clarificatory questions that the media may have about the President’s speeches or any of his pronouncements. “Only when we cannot explain comprehensively that we call on some Cabinet member or someone who has field of expertise to explain,” Andanar said. Andanar said the President agreed with him. But Read More …

De Lima slams claims she got campaign funds from drug lords

 Entertainment
Sep 192016
 
De Lima slams claims she got campaign funds from drug lords

DE LIMA’S PRIVILEGE SPEECH: Sen. Leila M. De Lima in a privilege speech decried the latest spate of killings targeting alleged drug pushers and drug personalities, which she says disregards a person’s basic right to due process guaranteed to all under the Constitution. “We have to continue opposing the murder of the innocents as well as that of the suspects. We must call for the accountability of state actors responsible for this terrifying trend in law enforcement, and the investigation of killings perpetrated by the vigilante assassins,” De Lima said. (MNS photo) MANILA, Sept 19 (Mabuhay) – Senator Leila de Lima on Monday cried foul over accusations that convicted drug kingpins raised millions in cash to fund her poll campaign last May. At the same time, de Lima accused the Duterte administration of blackmailing and bribing inmates at the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) to fabricate testimonies against her at a congressional inquiry this week. The senator insisted that she never received “even a single cent” from convict Jaybee Sebastian, who allegedly ordered gangs in the NBP to contribute P16 million to de Lima’s campaign kitty by selling narcotics. “Puro po kasinungalingan ang lalabas diyan. Hindi po ako coddler, hindi po ako protector ng mga drug convicts or drug lords. Lalong lalo na, wala po akong tinatanggap kahit singko kaninuman – convict man o hindi,” de Lima said. (Everything that will be revealed there are lies. I am not a coddler, I am not a protector of drug convicts or drug Read More …

Trillanes apologizes to Cayetano: It won’t happen again

 Entertainment
Sep 192016
 
Trillanes apologizes to Cayetano: It won’t happen again

Sen. Antonio Trillanes with members of Magdalo party, shows his certificate of candidacy (CoC) for vice president, at the Palacio del Gobernador in Manila, Tuesday. Trillanes will be running as an independent candidate, but expressed support for Sen. Grace Poe’s presidential bid in the 2016 elections. (MNS photo) MANILA, Sept 19 (Mabuhay) – Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV on Monday has extended his apology to Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano following their heated exchange in a Senate hearing last week. In a letter sent to the office of Cayetano, Trillanes said: “This is to express my apologies for my demeanor during last Thursday’s hearing of the Committee on Justice and Human Rights.” “It was brought about because of the intense passion and emotion of the moment. Nonetheless, it was uncalled for,” Trillanes added. “Be assured that such incident will not happen again,” the senator said. Copies of the said letter were also sent to the offices of Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III and Senator Leila de Lima, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights. Senators Trillanes and Cayetano clashed during last week’s hearing on drug-related killings. Cayetano was questioning witness Edgar Matobato on killings allegedly ordered by President Rodrigo Duterte during his term as city mayor of Davao. Cayetano is a close ally of President Duterte. Both Cayetano and Trillanes belong to the Nacionalista Party. Trillanes then asked De Lima to declare Cayetano out of order for taking up the time of the committee in questioning Matobato. De Read More …

PNP chief Bato dela Rosa says he did not ask for extension but thankful for it

 Entertainment
Sep 192016
 
PNP chief Bato dela Rosa says he did not ask for extension but thankful for it

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, Director General Ronald Dela Rosa (3rd from right) leads officials in the boodle fight with the troops during the 115th Police Service Anniversary in Camp Olivas, San Fernando City, Pampanga on Monday (Sept 5, 2016). The PNP chief presented awards to policemen wounded in the intensified campaign against drugs. He also warned policemen involved in illegal drugs to mend their ways as he will not tolerate it under his watch. (PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan)lam/acd MANILA, Sept 19 (Mabuhay) – Philippine National Police chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa said they did not ask for an extension in the campaign against illegal drugs but still thankful to President Rodrigo Duterte for the additional time. “I did not ask for an extension. (The extension is) better so that we finish this properly. We’re thankful because we were given additional time,” Dela Rosa said Sunday night when asked on the statement of Duterte. The President said he needs an extension of another six months on his self-imposed deadline of three to six months to solve the crime and drugs problem in the country. Dela Rosa left the country Sunday night to go to Colombia and study how they were able to address their illegal drug problem. The PNP chief believes the President saw the difficulties being faced by the police in the implementation of the intensified campaign against illegal drugs. “He saw that we were having a difficult time,” Dela Rosa said. He added that the Read More …

John Lloyd shuts down Maja romance rumors

 Entertainment
Sep 192016
 
John Lloyd shuts down Maja romance rumors

When John Lloyd Cruz and Maja Salvador saw Bea Alonzo’s film last month together, fans were quick to paint the movie night as a date. John Lloyd Cruz (MNS Photo) Cruz cleared up the rumors once and for all. Apparently irked by several news reports linking him with Salvador, his co-star in the cult classic “One More Chance,” Cruz was quoted to have said: “Nagagamit lang sa airtime sa iba’t ibang show, and we don’t appreciate kasi napakaliit ng bakuran natin.” “Alam ninyo, dito, lahat tayo magkakasama, magkakakilala tayo lahat dito. Alam ninyo kung ano ang totoo at hindi. Hindi ako napipikon, naiintindihan ko ang media. Pero sana imbes na magbigay tayo ng liwanag, huwag na tayong dumagdag sa pagbibigay ng confusion sa mga tao.” The “Home Sweetie Home” star maintained that he and Salvador, who was also spotted with him in Davao last month, are just good friends. Maja Salvador (MNS photo) “Hindi ako napipikon, nababaduyan lang talaga ako,” Cruz added about the rumors. Cruz was previously in a relationship with actress Angelica Panganiban, while Salvador admittedly felt “crushed” when actor Gerald Anderson broke up with her last year. (MNS)

Chinese are coming, on cruise ship no less

 News
Sep 192016
 
Chinese are coming, on cruise ship no less

CHINESE investors and tourists are starting to warm up to the Philippines on the back of President Duterte’s repeated calls to make peace with China. Francis Chua, chair emeritus of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), noted this growing interest, as he disclosed that there will be a cruise ship—with some 2,000 Chinese tourists and investors—docking in the Philippines soon. Chua declined to cite specifics but pointed out that this may be the first time such a huge group from China would be arriving in the Philippines at a given time. “A lot of Chinese are coming in and a lot of people here would like to have more business relationship with China…There is a cruise ship coming in with 2,000 Chinese people, supposedly tourists and investors, and this is significant. (China) is sending somebody to meet me next week,” Chua told reporters on Monday. The PCCI official admitted that the previous administration was clear in its stance of not wanting to have anything to do with China. But it seems, he said, that under the new administration, both countries are warming up—a development he deemed would benefit local companies and industries. “If our relations with China are better, we can get more investments from them, loans and business opportunities for both sides. Also, if the relationship (improves), we can ask them to open up the job market in China for Filipinos. There are a lot of Filipinos working in China but there is no law. We just Read More …

Verify facts, DFA tells European parliament on rights situation

 News
Sep 192016
 
Verify facts, DFA tells European parliament on rights situation

DFA spokesman Charles Jose. AP FILE PHOTO THE DEPARTMENT of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has called on the parliament of the European Union (EU) to verify its information on supposed extrajudicial killings in the country and not merely rely on media reports. DFA spokesperson Charles Jose on Monday said, “The Philippines and the European Union have a long-standing close partnership and it is the right of the duly elected EU lawmakers to issue such a statement. “But we would like to call on the members of the EU Parliament to verify the information [on the human rights situation in the Philippines] and not base their statement on mere media reports,” Jose said in a press briefing. The European Parliament (EP) last week issued a statement expressing concern about the human rights abuses and summary killings in the Philippines, alongside African states Somalia and Zimbabwe that suffer lingering civil unrest, armed conflict and repressive regimes.   In plenary session The EP held a plenary session in Brussels to tackle the human rights situation in the three countries. “The parliament condemns the current wave of extrajudicial executions and killings in the Philippines, the deteriorating security and widespread intimidation in Somalia, and the growing violence against demonstrators and breaches of human rights in Zimbabwe, in three resolutions voted on Thursday,” an EP statement said. The EP legislators earlier condemned the bombing in Davao City’s night market on Sept. 2 which left 14 people dead and 70 wounded. Monitor PH The legislators called on the Read More …

Share Acquisition in 2016: Antitrust and Tax Compliance

 Economy
Sep 192016
 

The legal landscape for mergers and acquisitions in the Philippines has been developing at an unprecedented pace over the last few years. In July 2015, Congress passed RA 10667 or the Philippine Competition Act, and in June 2016, the Philippine Competition Commission promulgated the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the said law. While it is inaccurate to say that antitrust laws never existed in the Philippines prior to 2015, RA 10667 is the first comprehensive competition legislation in the country. It is also the first time the Philippines created a specialized antitrust body to enforce antitrust laws and prevent anti-competitive agreements.

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