PHL to review export policy on firearms following US state senator's smuggling case

 News
Apr 142014
 
No firearms had been shipped out of the Philippines around the time US State Senator Leland Yee was said to be smuggling firearms from the country to the US, according to the Bureau of Customs.

Just the same, reports of the supposed smuggling of firearms have prompted the BOC to review existing procedures in the exportation and importation of such weapons in the Philippines.

“Wala kaming findings of declared (firearms shipment) nung time na iyon, supposedly out of Mindanao lumabas yung guns. Nag-check kami doon sa aming port collectors sa Cagayan de Oro as well as other ports, walang ni-report, walang dineclare na exports of firearms at the time,” BOC Commissioner John Philip Sevilla said on Monday.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Yee was part of a conspiracy to deal firearms without a license. The firearms were supposed to be sourced from a separatist group in the Philippines.

Yee was arrested in March on charges of corruption and alleged conspiracy to illegally trade in firearms. The FBI also claims that Yee has associates in the Philippines “trying to overthrow the current government.”

“Ngayon, ang pinapa-check namin is ano ba yung mga existing procedures ngayon regardless of what port para masiguro natin na… hindi rin nakakalabas ng Pilipinas yung contraband,” Sevilla said.

Sevilla admitted that the government is “focused” more on monitoring the importation rather than exportation of products in the Philippines.

“This is a good reminder na ito pwede ring magkaroon ng illegal activity pagpalabas ng products,” he said.

“Ang emphasis lagi is preventing na makapasok ito (contraband). Ito ngayon, baliktad. So pinapa-review namin yan para ma-ensure na hindi napapabayaan iyan,” Sevilla added. — Mark Merueñas/KBK, GMA News

PNoy can ‘withdraw’ Leviste parole – De Lima

 News
Dec 082013
 
PNoy can ‘withdraw’ Leviste parole – De Lima

President Benigno Aquino III can withdraw the parole granted to convicted killer Jose Antonio Leviste, according to Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, even as she maintained that there seems to be nothing irregular with the granting of the parole. “So far, there’s no basis for me to conclude that the board did not act above board in passing such application,” De Lima said Monday following a meeting with the country’s top jail officials. She, however, noted that she would “defer” to the decision of the President, who she said has the power to “review” paroles granted to prisoners. De Lima also said the Board of Parole and Pardon is standing by its decision to end Leviste’s almost five-year imprisonment by granting him parole. She also noted that Leviste, a former Batangas governor who was jailed in January 2009 for killing a long-time aide in Makati, was able to comply with the requirement for parole. Leviste, 73, was convicted of homicide and was sentenced to at least six years in prison but his good conduct time allowance allowed him to cut short his sentence by a little more than a year. — Mark Merueñas/KBK, GMA News

SC to 2013 Bar examinees: No incorrect English, please

 News
Aug 092013
 
SC to 2013 Bar examinees: No incorrect English, please

It almost goes without saying, but the highest court in the land still included it among its tips and guidelines to those who would take the 2013 Bar examinations this October. No carabao English, please. “In many instances, incorrect English is more serious as a problem than the lack of precise knowledge of law, and has been the cause of high failure rates,” the Supreme Court noted as it urged the examinees to polish their English as much as their knowledge of laws. The proper use of English is just one of the guidelines and tips given by the high court to hopeful law graduates who would be taking the mostly-essay type Bar exams at the University of Santo Tomas. In its “Guide and Rules of Conduct to the 2013 Bar Examinations,” the Supreme Court provided Bar examinees pointers on how best to approach the examination, believed to be the most difficult among licensure examinations. “This Guide contains as well the rules that every Bar examinee should observe in his/her conduct during for the examinations for its orderly implementation, taking into account, not only the interests of the Bar examinees, but of the University hosting the examinations, the Bar personnel conducting the examinations, and the public at large,” the SC said. The SC said that since the Bar exam is 80 percent essay type and only 20 percent multiple-choice-question type, “time planning and pacing are essential.” “As a rule, five to six words per line significantly contribute to readability” of Read More …

De Lima: Cases to be filed vs. encroachers of waterways in next two weeks

 News
Jul 232013
 
De Lima: Cases to be filed vs. encroachers of waterways in next two weeks

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Tuesday said the government would be filing at least two cases in the next two weeks against people who own structures that encroach on waterways. In an interview with reporters, De Lima said President Benigno Aquino III has instructed an inter-agency working group, which included the Department of Justice (DOJ), to concentrate its efforts on eight “priority waterways,” including the San Juan River and the Tullahan River. Encroachment on waterways, either by informal settlers or private establishments, has been one of the factors behind severe flooding in Metro Manila during the rainy season. Aquino, during his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, mentioned that the DOJ is preparing cases against those who constructed buildings that prevent waterways from functioning properly. De Lima said the inter-agency group has conducted ground surveys on these waterways based on satellite images and other sources. “Alam po natin iyong mga waterways, esteros, creeks… These are properties of public dominion and therefore not susceptible to appropriation or to private ownership,” De Lima said. “Nadiskubre namin na mayroong mga properties o mga encroachments o structures, may properties na may titulo at ang mga properties nila ay nage-encroach sa three-meter buffer zone,” she added. De Lima said the two cases to be filed in the next two weeks would be considered “pilot cases” and would be for “cancellation or revocation of title.” She also said the inter-agency team is already preparing to send out notices to owners of these Read More …

Soldiers in Atimonan bloodbath ask DOJ to drop charges against them

 News
Apr 242013
 
Soldiers in Atimonan bloodbath ask DOJ to drop charges against them

The soldiers implicated in the killing of 13 people in the infamous Atimonan bloodbath have asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) to dismiss the multiple murder charges filed against them. In their joint counter-affidavit, the soldiers, led by Lt. Col. Monico Abang, denied that they conspired with the policemen in carrying out what investigators from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said was a case of ambush. The group reminded the prosecution team that it was from a soldier where the NBI found out that the police manning the checkpoint with them had tampered with the evidence at the crime scene. “We would not have disclosed what we saw, taking into consideration that the police actions may be considered as our own act,” the soldiers argued. “Without the statement of the undersigned respondents… the NBI would have not learned of this fact,” they added. They also said they found nothing “suspicious” about the operation, which the police claimed was against a criminal group led by Vic Siman, who was among the 13 fatalities. “There was nothing suspicious in the request made by the police that should have aroused our suspicion that our forces were tapped to form part of a concerted effort to perpetrate the commission of any crime,” they said. “Aside from the sole request for military augmentation, there was no independent indication that the checkpoint will be used to camouflage in any case, the commission of a crime,” they added. In its report, the NBI used one of Read More …