PDu30: 16 mileposts in 50 days By John Paolo Bencito and Sandy Araneta VOL. XXX ⢠NO. 187 ⢠4 SECTIONS 20 PAGES ⢠P18 ⢠THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 2016 ⢠WWW.THESTANDARD.COM.PH ⢠EDITORIAL@THESTANDARD.COM.PH
THE Palace on Wednesday played up 16 milestones in President Rodrigo Duterteâs ďŹrst 50 days in ofďŹce, bucking the practice of looking back on the ďŹrst 100 days in ofďŹce. âWe are conďŹdent that even at an early stage, we have effected change in our government while calling everyone to be our partner for change,â Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said in a statement. âChange is happening everyday. It feels like everyday is a new day for a new Philippines. That is why we chose to tag it as the 50 First Days,â he said. Next page
#50FirstDays milestones
Leilaâs dilemma: Drug links bared ALLEGATIONS DENOUNCED. Senator Leila de Lima, Secretary of Justice in the Aquino administration, de-
Senator ďŹres back: Free airfare Rody: Unrelenting war Character assassination to Oslo for on drugs forges ahead By John Paolo Bencito nounces in her privilege speech Tuesday on the ďŹoor of the Senate allegations of coddling and protecting detained high proďŹle drug lords at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City in the past six years. Ey Acasio
Redsâ panel By John Paolo Bencito
THE government will spend for airfare to ďŹy recently released communist leaders to Oslo, Norway, to participate in the resumption of peace talks, Peace Process Secretary Jesus Dureza said Wednesday. âI do not think that the NDF [National Democratic Front] will spend. As a matter of principle, [we] agree that they travel at [government] expense,â Dureza told the Manila Standard in an interview. Next page
By Francisco Tuyay and Macon Ramos-Araneta PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday urged the Philippine National Police to continue the unrelenting war against illegal drugs. In his speech at the PNP 115th anniversary celebrations in Camp Crame, the Chief Executive said the ďŹght against crime and criminality is eternal. âIn every generation, in every political body, whenever there is a congregation of men, human beings would have problems about establishing law and order. Filipinos are no exemp-
tion,â he said. âWe have our share of our agony and misery. In my generation especially now we are seeing our country devastated by drugs. It has not only affected millions, but a lot of them are no longer viable as human beings in this planet,â the President said. And yet, he said despite statistics which showed the large number of drug dependents and the devastation wrought by drugs to our society, âwe see a lot of ranting about human rights in my campaign against [illegal] drugs.â Critics say the war on drugs has already caused the deaths of Next page
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RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday accused Senator Leila de Lima and her driver of taking drug money during the campaign for the 2016 elections.
âHere is a senator complaining [about the spate of drugrelated killings],â Duterte told policemen at Camp Crame in Quezon City, without naming De Lima. âOne day I will tell you that her driver who was her lover was the one collecting money for her during the campaign.â âSheâs politicking and posturing when⌠[she herself has] a very sordid personal and ofďŹcial
life,â he added. In a press brieďŹng at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport later in the afternoon, Duterte named the âcrusading lady of human rightsâ that he referred to in his speech as De Lima, with whom he has had a long-running feud. âShe thinks she is the conscience of the country. You want to know the name? De Lima,â Next page Duterte said.
Ex-RCBC executive arrested By Joel Zurbano LAWMEN arrested former Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. branch manager Maia Santos Deguito in connection with the perjury case ďŹled against her. Senior Supt. Alex Fulgar, deputy chief for administration of the Makati Police, said Deguitoâs arrest was made on the basis of a warrant issued by Pasay City Regional Trial Court Judge Eduardo Cruz Solangon Jr. He added Deguito was arrested in a supermarket Wednesday Next page afternoon.
PEACE TALKS WITH CPP-NPA-NDF
TRAIN FROM TUTUBAN TO MALOLOS, BULACAN
ONE-STOP-SHOP FOR OFWS
MISS UNIVERSE HOSTING OF MISS UNIVERSE
NAMING AND SHAMING OF NARCO-POLS
Euro Union warns of IS Mindanao expansion THE European Union on Wednesday expressed concern over the recruitment efforts of the Islamic State and other selfdescribed jihadist groups in Southern Mindanao. In a study cited by Tim Johnson, Asia program director for the International Crisis Group, the EU also warned the Philippines that, after watching at least three other peace talks, the people in Mindanao might lose faith in the process and return to guerrilla warfare or tip deeper into lawlessness in the ânext few months.â âThe next few months will make or break this process,â Johnson told reporters in a round-table discussion hosted by the EU delegation and attended Next page
Noy allies bitter over junked BUB
WEATHER MONSOON rain will continue to affect the western section of Northern and Central Luzon in the next 24 hours, the weather bureau said Wednesday. The Ilocos region will have cloudy skies with moderate to occasionally heavy rain, while light to moderate rain and thunderstorms will be experienced in the Cordillera region, Cagayan Valley, Zambales and Bataan. Metro Manila and the rest of the country will also have partly cloudy to cloudy skies and isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms. Luzonâs coastal waters will be moderate to rough, while the other areas will experience light to moderate winds from the southwest. PNA
FOI EXCUTIVE ORDER
ROAD TRAGEDY. Four persons are hurt in an eight-vehicle smashup Wednesday in Barangay Pinagkaisahan in Makati City. The vehicles included two passenger jeepneys, two UV Express passenger vans, three sedans and a pick-up. Danny Pata
Terror threat, economy top Rodyâs Asean agenda ADDRESSING terrorism and exploring the economic possibilities with the Philippinesâ neighbors will be President Rodrigo Duterteâs focus in his ďŹrst foreign trip as head of state to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, MalacaĂąang said Wednesday. twitter.com/ MlaStandard
âPart of it is the security agreements which have been raised in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippinesâ [tripartite talks],â Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said. He made the statement even as President Rodrigo Duterte said the Philippinesâ row with China over
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the West Philippine Sea will not be raised in any of his foreign trips this month and in September. âI wonât talk with the Asean about the West Philippine Sea issue. I will only talk directly to China when I face them,â Duterte told reporters at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
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âWar is not an option.â Duterte made his statement even as China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations approved two documents on handling unplanned encounters and emergencies in the disputed waters, Chinese media reported Wednesday. Next page
THE allies of former President Benigno Aquino III on Wednesday protested the âkillingâ of Bottom-up-Budgeting, warning that removing the BuB would make the national budget âeven more detachedâ from the lives of the communities. Siquijor Rep. Ramon Vicente Antonio Rocamora of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan or PDP-Laban was joined by Ifugao Rep. Teddy Brawner Baguilat, Akbayan Rep. Tomasito Villarin, and Pampanga Rep. Carmelo Lazatin in ďŹling House Joint Resolution 4 seeking to institutionalize the BuB, and former Akbayan Rep. and now LP Senator Risa Next page
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