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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2016
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PH... From A1 corps and amphibious armored equipment from both navies, he said. “Compared with previous joint drills, these exercises are deeper and more extensive in terms of organization, tasks and command,” he said in the statement, released Sunday. China claims almost all of the South China Sea and has sought to bolster its case by building a series of artificial islands capable of supporting military facilities. But a UN-backed tribunal ruled in July that any extensive claims to the sea had no legal basis and that China’s construction of artificial islands in disputed waters was illegal. Beijing reacted furiously, with foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang threatening a “decisive response” if anyone took “any provocative action against China’s security interests based on the award.” Beijing’s land reclamations have prompted criticism from other claimant countries and the US, and Washington has regularly sent warships into the strategically vital area to assert the right to freedom of navigation. This week’s drills will be carried out off the coast of Zhanjiang city in the southern province of Guangdong. Their precise location was not announced, but they do not appear to be taking place in disputed parts of the sea. They were aimed at “strengthening the capabilities of the Chinese and Russian Navies in jointly handling security threats on the sea,” navy spokesman Liang said. China and Russia have close military and diplomatic ties, often in opposition to the West, particularly the United States, and their leaders Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin enjoy a tight relationship. Last August, the two powers held military exercises in the waters and airspace of the Peter the Great Gulf, south of the Russian Pacific city of Vladivostok, involving 22 vessels, up to 20 aircraft and more than 500 marines. With AFP
News
Davao blast victims buried By Funy Pearl A. Gajunera
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AVAO CITY—Thirteen of the 14 victims of the Roxas night market blast were taken to their final resting place more than a week after the bloody incident.
Seven of the victims were residents of Davao City, while the others came from the neighboring provinces. Prior to their burial, the city government of Davao had offered to shoulder the funeral expenses of the victims including the lot and the excavation fee. Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio earlier said that as much as possible the city will pay for the burial of the victims whether they are residents of the city or not. “The city will shoulder their
funeral expenses. Those who were living outside the city were also given assistance. Designated personnel attended to them so that the financial assistance reached them immediately,” Duterte said. Last Tuesday, the city council approved the P4.5-million financial aid for the victims of the blast. Each bereaved family received P40,000, aside from the amount for the memorial services and other expenses during the burial. The injured received P30,000.
The city also shouldered the food expenses of the watchers of the patients for 20 days. Duterte had designated personnel to attend to the burial of t he victims in lieu of her presence. Meanwhile, City Social Services and Development Office Chief Maria Luisa Bermudo said the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office vowed to defray the medical expenses of the victims, including their medicines. Last Thursday, Duterte announced the increase in the bounty on the head of the suspect behind the Roxas night market blast. She said a Davao businessman and a law firm gave P500,000 each for the faster apprehension of the suspect.
Muslims... From A1 In Manila, hundreds of Muslims gathered at the Quirino Grandstand for the religious event. Muslims also gathered at the Blue Mosque in Maharlika Village in Taguig City. Senator Francis Pangilinan said the Filipinos’ willingness to sacrifice for their fellowmen could be found in the spirit of Eid’l Adha. “Eid’l Adha is an occasion to reflect on the importance of sacrifice as a pillar of [the Muslim] faith. This is also an opportunity for us to join them in reflection,” Pangilinan said. Eid’l Adha celebrates Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael as an act of obedience to Allah, but an angel appeared and gave him a ram to sacrifice instead. Muslims also take this holiday as an opportunity to bond and reunite with their families. PNA, with Sandy Araneta and Macon Ramos-Araneta
House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas and Minority Leader Danilo Suarez sought a congressional investigation after Duterte implicated De Lima, who was Justice secretary under the Aquino administration, in the illegal drug trade. The investigation will be conducted by the House committees on justice, public order and security and illegal drugs. Mindoro Oriental Rep. Reynaldo Umali said Ronnie Dayan, De Lima’s alleged former lover and driver, would be a principal resource person during the hearing. De Lima has said she would not appear before the House inquiry. On Sunday night, police and agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) arrested the sister-in-law and niece of former Agriculture secretary Proceso Alcala, in a buy-bust operation in Leveriza Subdivision in Tayabas City. Quezon Provincial Police Office Director Antonio Yarra identified the suspects as Maria Fe Abutin Alcala and her daughter Toni Anne. Some 24 sachets of shabu worth P212,000 were seized in the operation. Yarra said Maria Fe is the wife of Cerilo Alcala, the younger brother of former Agriculture secretary Alcala and incumbent Quezon Second District Rep. Vicente Alcala. In Quezon City, police said Monday they consider the killing of the sister of actress Maritoni Fernandez,
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Extra... From A1 as MMDA general manager and concurrent officer in charge, replacing Emerson Carlos. “Personally, I think we need to move even high- density institutions outside Metro Manila,” Orbos said. Seven choke points along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue and the roads leading to Manila the North Harbor were in the list of trafficprone areas named by the MMDA as immediately needing resolution. The Jica study says the traffic in Metro Manila causes an estimated productivity loss of P2.4 billion a day or more than P800 billion a year. But Orbos disagreed with the proposal to reimplement the “oddeven scheme” introduced by his older brother, then Transport Secretary Oscar Orbos, as one of solution to ease the traffic in Metro Manila. Oscar Orbos was the Transport secretary during the time of President Corazon Aquino. “This [odd-even] scheme is no longer applicable nowadays because many things have changed,” Orbos said. “We need to have a unified scheme throughout Metro Manila. The solution to traffic nowadays needs to be dealt deeper.” The MMDA ceased to be the lead agency managing the traffic in Metro Manila after Transport Secretary Arturo Tugade formed the Inter-agency Council on Traffic or I-ACT where Police-Highway Patrol Group chief Antonio Gardiola Jr. was designated to head it. The team is composed of the MMDA, HPG, Land Transportation Office, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board and the Armed Forces. The MMDA says the seven choke points along Edsa were the Balintawak Market Road, Aurora Boulevard, Ortigas Avenue, Shaw Boulevard, Guadalupe, Ayala Avenue and Taft Avenue, as well as the roads leading to and from the Manila North Harbor Area, especially Circumferential Road 3, A. Mabini, Dagat-Dagatan Avenue, North Bay Boulevard and Radial Road 10 or R-10. Joel E. Zurbano
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WAITING TIME. A Grab Kalesa owner and his tireless stallion wait under a cloudy sky for local and foreign tourists in the walled Intramuros district of Manila, unmindful of criticisms from an animal welfare group due to poor treatment of horses. Danny Pata
Veloso... From A1 Palace officials did not deny the report, but said the President had only told Widodo that the Philippines will not interfere in Indonesia’s legal processes. Before leaving for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit, Duterte had said he would try to intercede on Veloso’s behalf with Widodo “in a most respectful and in a very, very courteous way.” “If my pleadings will fall on deaf ears, I am ready to accept it,” Duterte said in his hometown Davao City. Veloso, who was arrested at the Adisucipto Airport in Yogyakarta in April 2010 for bringing illegal drugs into Indonesia, was among the nine foreigners scheduled for execution in 2015 but got a last-minute reprieve after the previous administration intervened. The Aquino administration sought to convince Jakarta that Veloso was a victim of human trafficking and was turned into an unwitting drug mule by illegal recruiters connected to an international drug ring. The Indonesian Attorney General’s Office, however, asked Philippine authorities to conclude the legal processes of Veloso’s human trafficking case so that her execution in Indonesia could be carried out. “We only hope the Philippines could immediately and quickly complete her legal process there to give certainty,” Attorney General HM Prasetyo told Indonesian state news agency Antara. “It is impossible for us to remain uncertain. You [media] must also help other parties who are against [the] death penalty to understand,” he said. Upon his return to the country past midnight on Saturday, Duterte was quiet on Veloso’s status. “There are matters that I cannot tell you now. I am sorry, I’m not at liberty, but maybe I can talk to the family first before anything else,” Duterte told reporters in Davao. Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella, however, said the President had told Widodo that the country will
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We need to review foreign policy. I just could not blurt it out before out of respect and I do not want a rift with America. But they have to go,” Duterte said. The President added that if the Americans won’t leave, abductions by the Abu Sayyaf would “heat up again.” Duterte continued his tirade against the country’s long-time treaty ally for being “hypocrites” amid criticism on his war against drugs. “I am not just sowing intrigue here. It’s just that I believe America is such a hypocrite. They know actually that I
respect the Indonesian legal process. He said Duterte told Widodo: “Follow your own laws. We will not interfere.” Abella said Duterte did not say anything about Veloso’s execution. Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay, on the other hand, said the Jakarta Post headline saying Duterte had given the green light for Veloso’s execution was “erroneous.” Yasay gave credence, instead, to a later paragraph in the Post story which said: “Veloso was excluded indefinitely from the list of the third round of executions prepared by the Attorney General’s Office in April, as legal procedures continue in a separate but related case.” In an earlier interview, Yasay said Veloso’s execution “had been deferred because she would be testifying in the case against her illegal recruiter.” Yasay said Duterte never gave a green light, but merely said he respects Indonesia’s judicial processes and will accept whatever its final decision would be. Yasay clarified further that never did Duterte give the green light to the execution of Veloso other than to tell the Veloso’s family wanted the Duterte administration to clear the air about her impeding execution. “Migrante and the Veloso family are in shock over the news coming from Jakarta. We demand an immediate explanation from President Duterte and Secretary Yasay, both duty-bound to defend the rights of Filipinos overseas, especially drug trafficking victims like Mary Jane,” Gary Martinez, Migrante International spokesman said. Veloso’s family is hopeful that the Filipino domestic helper can be removed from the death row, but Indonesian Attorney General Prasetyo stressed that “the ruling has been legally binding” and that “all legal avenues have been exhausted.” Her lawyers declined to comment until there is official information from Philippine and Indonesian governments. Activists fear that Veloso, who has already been convicted in an Indonesian court, could yet be executed if the
trial here against her recruiter is delayed, giving the impression that she was being kept alive to give testimony. Her supporters want the Indonesian government to allow Veloso to fly home so she can testify in person in court and persuade Jakarta to spare her life. Veloso, who fled Dubai after an attempted rape and moved to Indonesia through Malaysia to find work, says she was tricked by a trafficking gang to smuggle 2.6 kg of heroin. Contrary to Yasay’s statements, an Indonesian source on Monday confirmed that Duterte had given Widodo the go-signal to execute Veloso. Citing a transcript, the source said Widodo was quoted in an interview Monday morning that Duterte told him to “go ahead” with Veloso. The Indonesian source who is privy to the diplomatic efforts, said: “Jokowi said, I explained to Duterte that Mary Jane brought 2.6 kilograms of heroin. The execution was delayed. Duterte said, go a head.” In another statement posted on the Indonesian Cabinet Secretariat Website, Widodo said he had a discussion with Duterte on Veloso’s fate. During the meeting with Duterte at the State Palace, Jakarta last week, Widodo said he explained about the delay in the execution of Veloso last May as there are pending legal process being conducted in the Philippines. “President Duterte then said, please go ahead if you want to execute her,” Widodo said. In October 2010, Veloso was sentenced to death by a panel of judges at the District Court of Sleman, Yogyakarta. The source said Veloso will be executed at Nusakambangan Prison in Cilacap, but no date has been set. Veloso has been spared twice following the presentation of a case in the Philippines that said she had been duped into smuggling heroin into Indonesia by a drug syndicate. Last year, Mary Jane Veloso’s recruiters, Maria Kristina Sergio, admitted in a hearing at the Justice Department that she and her live-in partner Julius Lacanilao, worked for an international drug ring.
have a serious problem here,” Duterte said. Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said Duterte’s recent pronouncement on the presence of US troops was a step in pursuing an independent foreign policy. “The statement reflects [Duterte’s] new direction towards coursing an independent foreign policy; he has made reference to the unrecognized, unrepented and un-atoned for massacre at Bud Dajo in Sulu by the Americans, hence our continued connection with West is the real reason for the ‘Islamic’ threat in Mindanao,” Abella said. Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Ricardo Visaya said that at least 200 US Special Forces were
left in Zamboanga to provide logistics and technical support to American troops who are in the country at any given time. At one point, some 1,200 US Special Forces were in Zamboanga City and on Jolo and Basilan islands, both strongholds of Abu Sayyaf. Abella said the President wanted the United States to correct the injustices they committed against the Filipinos, especially against the Muslims in Mindanao. “The American silence on the matter lacks congruence with its ‘moral’ position, in the light of actions taken in the past by the Germans who confessed and made atonement for the Holocaust, and Japan which made reparations for the atrocities it perpe-
the #SuperficialGazette, run by the Best Communications Team in the Solar System, takes pride in uploading content that also excels in aesthetic quality,” read the spoof Facebook page. “As such, our uploaded images suffer minimal degradation [if any at all] when uploaded on Facebook and Twitter. The same is also held true for the previous Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines communications team, but not the present one. “Official Gazette, maybe it’s time for you to step up your game. #PartnerForChange” Assistant Communications Secretary Ramon Cualoping III said the Presidential Communications Operations Office did not intend to revise history and only wanted to mark the birthday of Marcos, who was a former leader of the country. Cualoping admitted he approved
‘Kidnap... From A1
“The boats sped northeast in the direction of Alice reef and Bulubulu island off Tawi-Tawi.” Tan made his statement even as the Education Department in Davao City said six public schools received bomb threats last week. Department spokesman Jenielito Atillo said the bomb threats on public elementary and secondary schools started after the bloody blast at the Roxas night market on Sept. 2 that killed 14 people and injured 70 others. But he said no bomb was found in any of the schools. Tan He said the abduction of the Malaysian fishermen was reported to the Philippine military by the
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Ma. Aurora Moynihan, a drug-related murder case. In an interview, Sr. Supt. Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar said Moynihan, who was found with bullet wounds to the chest, had four sachets of shabu and drug paraphernalia in her possession. Her body was found on Temple Drive and Giraffe Street near the Corinthian Garden village at dawn Saturday, with a piece of cardboard that said “drug pusher ng mga celebrities kasunod na kayo (drug pushers of the celebrities, you’re next).” Eleazar said they were digging deeper into allegations that Moynihan is a supplier of drugs to showbiz personalities. In Davao City, a criminal case filed against Maguindanao Vice Mayor Abdulwahab Sabal and three others linked to the night market blast was submitted for resolution. Prosecutor General Claro Arellano, head of the Justice Department’s national prosecution service, disclosed that there will be no more preliminary investigation of the case for illegal possession of firearms, explosives and dangerous drugs against Sabal, wife Mohanna Sabal and bodyguard Nasser Maulana and driver Norodin Abas. The four were subjected to inquest proceedings Saturday after authorities arrested them at the Awang Airport in Datu Odin Sinsuat. Aside from charges of illegal possession of firearms, explosives and dangerous drugs, the four are facing separate investigation about their possible involvement in the Davao City bombing last week. With Rio N. Araja and Jun David the social media card but the decision did not involve any partisanship, much less any attempt to revise history. “We all know that Martial Law happened. It really happened,” Cualoping said. “But what we did was for the birthday card. It shouldn’t be agnostic. It should just be about the date that they were elected into the presidency, their political background is just right there.” “But wait for September 21. We have something for the Martial Law anniversary as well. That’s how we compartmentalize things actually,” he said. The incident was the latest in a series of “boo-boos” for which Andanar apologized on Sunday. During the summit of Association of Southeast Asian Nations last week, the PCOO was criticized by local and foreign media for erroneously announcing that President Rodrigo Duterte would be seated in between US President Barack Obama and UN Secretary Ban Ki Moon. John Paolo Bencito Malaysian military from the Eastern Sabah Security Command at 11 p.m. He said the place where the three Malaysians were abducted was in the general area of Pom Pom island near the Mataking Island Resort off Sempurnah, Sabah. More than two days after the abduction, the military has yet to come up with an official report whether or not the abductors were indeed the Abu Sayyaf. But Tan said he believed the abductors could still be in hiding in the Sabah area because the distance from Sempurnah and Tawi-Tawi was four hours. “The waves are very strong, and the Navy says it would be very difficult for the abductors to cross the sea,” Tan said. Florante S. Solmerin and F. Pearl A. Gajunera
The typhoon as of 5 p.m. Monday was 780 kilometers east of Aparri, Cagayan, with maximum sustained winds of 185 km per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 220 kph. It was forecast to move westnorthwest at 20 kph, and to make landfall over Batanes. Typhoon Signal No. 1 has been hoisted over Cagayan, Apayao, Batanes and the Babuyan Islands. Rain with gusty winds are also expected over Northern Isabela, Kalinga, Abra, Apayao, Ilocos Norte,
Cagayan, Batanes and the Babuyan Islands. Cloudy skies with light to moderate rain and thunderstorms will persist over the Visayas, Caraga, Bicol, Mimaropa, Calabarzon, Aurora and the rest of Isabela. Metro Manila and the rest of the country will be partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms. The weather bureau said it was also closely monitoring a tropical depression outside the Philippine area of responsibility that could enter the country on Wednesday, which will be named “Gener” once it does. Rio N. Araja
trated among the peoples they conquered,” he added. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Monday said Duterte wants to acquire defense equipment from other allies to strengthen the country’s territorial defense, rather than rely on the Mutual Defense Treaty with the United States, which has not made a difference in the government’s program to modernize its Armed Forces. Lorenzana, however, said the alliance between the the US and the Philippines remains “rock solid.” “The US is our ally, our military ally because of the Mutual Defense Treaty which was signed in the 1950s and it’s still there. That has not been abrogated,” he said. Manila and Washington also have
the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement which was viewed as a deterrent to Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea. But again, this has not been a factor in modernizing the AFP. “The President said we are going to also talk with others who can supply us good equipment to strengthen our defense,” Lorenzana said. Despite a law passed in 1995, the Armed Forces has failed to modernize. Defense and military officials have been blaming the government’s procurement system as a major hurdle to purchasing the needed military equipment. This has been exacerbated by corruption in the bidding and negotiations of big-ticket items.