Manila Standard - 2016 September 15 - Thursday

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NOY SLAPPED WITH P100-B GRAFT CASE

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VOL. XXX • NO. 215 • 4 SECTIONS 20 PAGES • P18 • THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2016 • www.thestandard.com.ph • editorial@thestandard.com.ph

LOST BUT SAFE. Over the placid coastal waters of General Santos City in Mindanao three days ago, this Australian white pelican has strayed hundreds of kilometers from its nearest known habitat to end up in the country’s far south, the first such bird to be seen in the Asian archipelago, wildlife enthusiasts said. A flock of swallows chased the strange wing and, following an air battle, the big bird flew out to the mangroves. AFP

UN slams Du30’s war RUGGED OUTERWEAR. President Rodrigo Duterte dons a pilot jacket during the 48th anniversary of the 250th Presidential Airlift Wing at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City on Wednesday. With him are AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Ricardo Visaya and Army Chief Lt. Gen. Eduardo Año.

High Commish: Human rights ignored Rody won’t scrap VFA, other pacts By John Paolo Bencito, Christine F. Herrera and Sara Susanne Fabunan

GI Joes can fend for selves—DND By Maricel V. Cruz AMERICAN soldiers based in Mindanao are not high-value targets of terrorists, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana told a hearing conducted by the House committee on appropriations Wednesday. During the budget hearing of the department’s proposed P178.2-billion budget for 2017, Lorenzana said the President fears that the US soldiers might

be subject to reprisals by the terrorists. “I don’t think that will happen,” Lorenzana said in Fiipino, referring to US troops who he said are helping Filipino soldiers improve their intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. “Let us remember, these people are also combatants. They are not civilians subject to kidnapping by terrorists,” Lorenzana said. Magdalo party-list Rep. Gary

DESPITE his anti-American attacks President Rodrigo Duterte insisted that he will not abrogate any treaty signed with the Americans even as the Philippines tries to chart its own “independent foreign policy.” “I am not anti-American. I said, we are not severing our ties, military ties. It’s there already. Who am I to abrogate a treaty?” the President said in a speech at Villamor Airbase Tuesday evening. Leftist groups have urged the President to abrogate previous deals with the United States, including the Mutual Defense Treaty, the Visiting Forces Agreement, the Mutual Logistics Support Agreement and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement. On Monday, President Rodrigo Duterte said that the United States Special Forces based in Mindanao Next page

By John Paolo Bencito

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HE United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights on Wednesday scored President Rodrigo Duterte for failing to understand international human rights law but Malacañang argued the President knew precisely the legalities and limits of the powers vested in his office.

“The President of the Philippines’ statements of scorn for international human rights law display a striking lack of understanding of our human rights institutions and the principles which keep societies safe,” Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said. “Fair and impartial rule of law is the foundation of public confidence and security. Empowering police forces to shoot to kill any individual whom they claim to suspect of drug crimes, with Next page

Alejano, a retired Marine captain, expressed reservations about Duterte’s declaration that the US soldiers must leave Mindanao, saying they provide the country defense cover. “We were not able to develop our own capabilities to protect our territories because we are focusing internally... We are moving towards that and the US, in one way or another, is helping us develop that capability,” Alejano said. Next page

Noy faces graft suit over Shell By Rio N. Araja and Maricel V. Cruz

INTERCEPTED PILLS. The Bureau of Customs announces Wednesday its interception of some P7.5 million worth of ecstasy from The Netherlands at the Manila Central Post Office: 5,000 pieces of ecstasy, and an undetermined amount of amphetamine in five parcels. The interception was carried out by the team composed of the Customs Anti-Illegal Drugs Task Force, the Port of Manila Collection District, and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.

FORMER President Benigno Aquino III is facing graft charges before the Office of the Ombudsman for allegedly failing to collect P100 billion in taxes from Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. for gasoline shipments in 2004 to 2009.

9 bombing Mixed signals bad for Rody suspects WEATHER charged Ferdie leaves

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PH oldest woman turns 119 BACOLOD CITY―A woman from Kabankalan City in Negros Occidental celebrated her 119th birthday on Sunday, making her probably the world’s oldest living person. Francisca Susano of Oringao Next page

SECOND PARENT. Stamp collector Mylene Bernardo shows the newly released stamp released by the Philippine Postal Corp. a collectible item highlighting a teacher as an effective second parent of a student in recognition of the teachers during the month-long celebration of World Teachers Month. Danny Pata

Ex-justice twits Gordon By Macon Ramos-Araneta STARTLED by the news that Senator Richard Gordon would file a bill pushing for the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus, former Supreme Court associate justice Vicente Mendoza called the senator, a former student, and asked him where he learned the law. “Dick, you make it appear like twitter.com/ MlaStandard

I did not teach you law,” Gordon quoted Mendoza as saying, as he denied stories about the bill and blamed the media for being “irresponsible.” “Please do not do me a disservice. I did not propose the suspending the writ of habeas corpus. I was thinking about it and its pending research,” said Gordon in an interview over radio dwIZ.

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DAVAO CITY—Charges were filed on Monday afternoon before the prosecutor’s office here against the main suspect and eight other suspects in the deadly bomb explosion at the Roxas night market on Sept. 2, an official said Wednesday. The blast killed 15 people and injured 69 others, and the terrorist group Abu Sayyaf claimed responsibility for it. Special Investigation Task Group head Valeriano De Leon said of the nine suspects, three were identified as Jane Does and five others John Does. Next page

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SENATOR Panfilo Lacson on Wednesday warned not only the credibility of President Rodrigo Duterte would suffer but also that of the whole country as a result of his communications officers’ conflicting statements. “What about the Philippines? How can we deal with a country coming out with different policy statements?” Lacson said. “Since it was the President who talked, the assumption there is final.” Lacson said policy statements and everything else should conform to what the President had said. He said the audience in the international community was different from the audience in the Philippines, who appeared to be more sympathetic. Next page

PAR; Gener enters

TYPHOON “Ferdie” left the Philippine area of responsibility at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday to head for China while another typhoon, “Gener,” entered the country shortly after midnight on Tuesday, the weather bureau said Wednesday. It said “Gener” was expected to leave the country on Friday afternoon or Saturday morning and to head for southern Japan. But even if “Ferdie” had left and “Gener” would not directly Next page

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