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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2016 mst.daydesk@gmail.com
Dela Rosa cites gains in drug war By Francsico Tuyay POLICE Chief Ronaldo dela Rosa said Wednesday they were winning the war on illegal drugs and vowed to sustain the momentum against the drug syndicates. He said most Filipinos had started feeling safe in their surroundings and workplaces after the first 100 days of the Duterte administration. “Somehow, we have achieved the objective to a certain degree of providing the people a safe community despite the criticisms,” Dela Rosa said. But the Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino and its allies expressed dismay over what they said was the administration’s failure to end labor contractualization. BMP head Leody de Guzman said not a single corporate entity or employment agency was closed or reprimanded for failing to obey labor laws. Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, meanwhile, said Wednesday there was a 12-percent increase in employment during the first 100 days of the Duterte administration. But he said the increase could be attributed partly to the previous administration. So far, 1,381 drug personalities have been killed while 22,712 others were arrested since Duterte assumed office in July and declared war on illegal drugs. At least 13 policemen and three soldiers were killed while 39 policemen and eight soldiers were wounded in the fight against illegal drugs. Statistics also showed that 733,635 people, including 52,940 drug pushers and 680,695 drug users, had surrendered to authorities since the government’s campaign against illegal drugs. Dela Rosa said despite criticisms that the Duterte administration was resorting to summary killings in his anti-drug campaign, the war on illegal drugs will continue. With Sandy Araneta
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“deteriorating investor sentiment” after Duterte criticized the US for speaking out against his bloody war on drugs. The peso’s weakest level this year was recorded on Sept. 30 at 48.50 to a dollar. This was a seven-year low since September 2009 at the height of the global financial crisis. “In the event that these fears translate into something more tangible leading to prolonged political uncertainty, we believe that a further slide of the peso beyond 50 to US dollar could be likely,” BMI said. It further said that a selloff in the Chinese yuan and an expected interest rates hike by the US Federal Reserve before the year ends could trigger “broad-based emerging currency weakness” that will affect the peso. The peso on Wednesday closed at 48.285, P0.04 lower than 48.245 a day ago. Offering a contrasting view, ING Bank Manila senior economist Joey Cuyegkeng said the peso would not depreciate too much this year because of the country’s solid macroeconomic fundamentals. But Cuyegkeng revised his previous peso exchange rate forecast per dollar by yearend to around 47.50 from 46.60, taking into consideration the volatility in the financial markets.
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He said he will talk to the members of his committee because an ethics complaint is serious. “That’s serious but you really have to watch out,” Gordon said. “As a senator, she must remember that she must be of mild temperament and that she must be composed.” On Tuesday, Gordon said De Lima could be censured, suspended or kicked out of the Senate once the majority of the members of the committee voted on matter, but he was not inclined to initiate a complaint. De Lima said she walked out of the hearing because she did not want to be crucified as the senators were deliberately ganging up on her. This was after Gordon accused her of not revealing that her witness Edgar Matobato had been charged with kidnapping for ransom. Macon Ramos-Araneta
Edca valid pact, Panelo says A By Sandy Araneta
MALACAÑANG official said on Wednesday the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, which President Rodrigo Duterte has placed under review, is “valid.” Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo said documents show that former President Benigno Aquino III authorized former defense secretary Voltaire Gazmin to sign the agreement on behalf
of the Philippines. “Initially the impression was it was never signed and the former secretary of Defense was not authorized. But the documents show that Gazmin was authorized by President Aquino. There was a
memorandum of ratification of the document, so it is a valid agreement,” Panelo told Wednesday’s forum “Kapihan sa Manila Bay, at Café Adriatico, Manila.” “Duterte, according to the agreement, need not continue implementing the Edca. There is a provision there which says so. The agreement also says that either party can terminate the agreement. Either the President does not implement the agreement or he terminates it. The government is bound by it, but the agreement also says it can terminate it. And it can also not
implement it if it wants,” he said. Panelo said the underlying reason for any agreement is whether it helps the country’s interest or not. If it can be seen that it no longer adds or supplements Philippine interests, the President is bound by the Constitution to not implement it or to abrogate it, he said. He also said the President is subjecting the Visiting Forces Agreement and the Mutual Defense Treaty to a review “either to expand them, enhance them, or remove provisions onerous to the interests of the government.”
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THANK YOU, MA’AM. A student of Araullo High School in Manila offers flowers to her favorite teacher during the celebration of Teachers’ Day on Thursday. N. Araga
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Philippines were not an eitheror proposition. “We value our relations with the Philippines. They’re a strong ally, a strong partner in the region. Again, we’ve had decades of strong relations with the Philippines. We’ve had each other’s backs and we want to continue that cooperation going forward. Public comments, rhetoric aside, we believe that the foundation still exists for that relationship to continue and strengthen,” he said. Toner added that Duterte may “still be forming his policies” since he’s only been in office for a few months. “I’m not going to speak to the course he may take. All I can speak to is the current state of our relations, and government to government, people to people, they remain strong,” he said.
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that he could, that he might.’ But, let’s try to use our creative imagination. We shouldn’t take his statements literally,” Abella said. “You’ve seen the way he speaks, right? So in other words, let’s understand the context on how he said things,” he added. In his speech before the Jewish Association of the Philippines in Makati City Tuesday night, Duterte said he would rather go to China or Russia, affirming his previous pronouncements of “crossing the Rubicon” and forging alliances with the two known US rivals, shortly after telling US President Barack Obama to “go to hell” and for the European Union to choose “purgatory” instead. “Eventually in my time I would break up with America. I would rather go to Russia or to China. Even though we don’t agree with the ideology, they have respect for the people,” Duterte said. Duterte’s new tirades against the United States were in sharp contrast to his statements last September, where he said the
Toner said, however, that the US would continue speaking out against human rights abuses. “Whenever we see or hear of credible allegations of human rights abuses, we’re never going to give that a pass,” Toner said. Duterte on Tuesday refused to back down, despite suggestions from his allies that he be more circumspect. To make his point, he launched into new tirades against critics of his bloody anti-illegal drugs campaign, telling Obama to “go to hell” and the European Union “to choose purgatory” because hell was already full. “They’re telling me to stop making noises. No, I cannot stop. I’ll lose the momentum,” Duterte said during the Sulong Pilipinas Local Governance dialogues at Makati City. Senator Panfilo Lacson said the President was making statements that could hurt the country. “These are unnecessary comments, [like] that go to hell [re-
mark]. For what? But the impact on the other party, that’s too serious,” Lacson said. Senator Ralph Recto said Duterte’s recent tirade against Obama will again reflect poorly on the country. “Unfortunately, we may all pay the price for our President’s offensive statements,” Recto said in a text message. Senator Richard Gordon, who earlier suggested that Duterte stop talking about his plan to kill drug pushers, said he was just trying to help the President and the country become successful. “Let us pray for him for greater leadership. No question from us about his war on drugs, just the implementation and the noise,” Gordon said. Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, a critic of Duterte, said some military officers have expressed concern over the President’s threats to cut ties with the United States, but said by and large, the Armed Forces were supportive
Philippines is not about to cut its security ties with Washington or with other allies. “We are not going to cut our umbilical cord with the countries we are allied with,” Duterte said in remarks at the 48th anniversary of the 250th Presidential Airlift Wing in Villamor Air Base. “We are not cutting our alliances–military [alliances] as well. But certainly, we will follow an independent posture and independent foreign policy,” he added. In one of his early morning press briefings shortly after winning the presidency, Duterte earlier advised Manila-based reporters to check whether he was making “preposterous” statements or just plain serious. Duterte went on to say that he is bipolar–a claim that, given his own warning, should be taken with a grain of salt. Asked if the President’s statements Tuesday were official policy, Abella said Duterte had not given any definite pronouncement yet. “He said he might. It’s not a definite yes, it’s not a definite no. The breaking up may not necessarily be a breaking up of alliances. It may, but he is not saying that,”
Abella said. Abella also denied that the country was leaning towards China and Russia, America’s rivals. “I don’t think we are leaning. It’s not a question of leaning more towards Russia and China. It just that he has expanded his options,” he said. “We’re not only leaning towards US. We’re also looking if we can talk to Russia and China, those who could help us. In fact, he’s creating relationship with the Asean.” Also in the same press briefing, Abella addressed fears from Vice President Leni Robredo that Duterte’s harsh words might affect international support for the government’s anti-poverty initiatives. “From the President’s perspective, it’s not so much the aid that we’re after; it is that we want to be received with dignity and not be subservient,” he added. Abella also said that Duterte is a “one-man revolution” changing the country. But House Minority Leader and Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez on Wednesday said the seeming “lack of cohesion” of Duterte’s Cabinet members could hurt the country’s growth.
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Also seeking the post are regional trial court Judges Rowena Apao-Adlawan and Reynaldo Daway, Chief Public Attorney Persida Rueda-Acosta, chief state counsel Ricardo Paras, and Centro Escolar University law school vice dean Rita Linda Ventura-Jimeno. Under the rules, names of the applicants and nominees will be published to invite public support or objections. They will then undergo psychological tests and public interviews before the JBC comes up with a shortlist to be submitted to the President.
Perez holds the distinction of being the high court’s first ‘‘homegrown’’ justice, having spent all the years of his professional life in the Supreme Court, where he started as a legal assistant in the Office of the Reporter in 1971 before being picked as one of its associate justices on Dec. 26, 2009. Perez graduated in the top 10 of his class in both his political science and law studies at the University of the Philippines. His academic achievements gained him entry to the Phi Kappa Phi and Phi Gamma Mu Honor Societies as well as the Order of the Purple Feather, the UP Law Honor Society. Rey E. Requejo
1 to October 4, 2016,” Health Secretary Paulyn Jean RosellUbial said. The Zika disease is caused by a virus transmitted primarily by Aedes mosquitoes. People with Zika virus disease can have symptoms including mild fever, skin rash, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise or headache. These symptoms normally last for two to seven days. Pregnant women infected with the virus are in danger of delivering children with microcephaly, a condition characterized by an abnormal smallness of the head, a congenital condition associated with incomplete brain development. A 22-year-old woman from Cebu, who is 19 weeks pregnant with her first child, is among the 12 of the President and loyal to the chain of command. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Wednesday that the President might have been fed with wrong information about the state of the Philippines’ joint military exercises and defense agreements with the United States, amid his pronouncements that he would cut off war games and other military ties with the United States. “After we assess this, we will be able to give the President good information so that he may also assess well...because it seems he is misinformed right now...perhaps, he has not been informed that there is a benefit to it,” Lorenzana said in an ANC television interview. “Perhaps, the President just needs correct information so that his pronouncements are according to the facts,” he added. To appease China, Duterte declared an end to the joint war games that the Philippines jointly conducts with its longest strategic defense
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Anti-Torture Law for transferring him to Building 14 of the National Bilibid Prison’s maximum security compound amid threats to his life. Arriba blamed De Lima over the attempt to kill Sebastian inside the national penitentiary on Sept. 28, saying Sebastian earned the wrath of the other inmates at the maximum security when De Lima claimed he was a government informant against the illegal drug trade. He invoked the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, citing public officials who cause undue injury to a party in the discharge of his function through evident bad faith and gross inexcusable negligence should be penalized. De Lima also committed violation of the Anti-Torture Act on Sebastian when she placed him in isolation from October 2014 to January 2016 after he was transferred to the national penitentiary’s Building 14, the complaint said. Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II on Wednesday main-
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journalist who lived and worked in China for more than three decades. He is the former Beijing bureau chief for ABC News, the news division of the American Broadcasting Company. He has covered China as a producer and reporter for ABC News from 1989 until his retirement in 2010. As a foreign journalist, he
When asked if they will be renegotiated, Panelo said “yes, if the President so desires.” “Any agreement for that matter has its options. There is always a clause there that says you can either revise it, terminate it, or expand it. My only concern on Monday was to see whether the documents were signed by authority of the President. And they were. I have given him my legal opinion and so it is now in his hands,” the Palace counsel said. “Maybe Duterte will decide on it soon,” said Panelo. Zika cases that have been detected across the country so far this year. Ubial said out of the 15 confirmed Zika cases, 12 were from Iloilo, one from Cebu, one from Muntinlupa City and one from Antipolo City. She said all those infected acquired the virus through mosquito bites but did not have a history of travel to an affected country a month before the onset of the illness. She said the Zika cases were confirmed by the tests conducted by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in Alabang, Muntinlupa City. She asked the public to destroy mosquito-breeding places, use insect repellent and wear condoms during sex. “This is a global concern. While we do not want people to panic, we should not be complacent,” Ubial said. Macon Ramos-Araneta
ally, the United States—saying that the scheduled military exercises by October would be the last. “You are scheduled to hold war games again, which China does not want. I would serve notice to you now that this will be the last military exercise. Jointly, Philippines-US, the last one,” Duterte said. Lorenzana, who met last week with US Defense chief Ashton Carter, said he would meet with Armed Forces of the Philippines officials to assess these exercises and defense pacts with the US. US officials said the President’s threat to cancel the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement has not “translated into actions” and said the alliance between the two countries remains stable. “In as much as our alliance with the Philippines is concerned, it’s very much solid and stable and secure and on track,” Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davis said. With Macon Ramos-Araneta and John Paolo Bencito
tained that De Lima and her alleged lover Ronnie Dayan really have sex video. Aguirre cited the affidavit submitted by De Lima’s former aide Joenel Sanchez who affirmed that he and other aides of De Lima saw two videos showing the former DOJ chief and Dayan in sexual acts. “In his affidavit, Joenel said they saw two videos from the phone of Dayan,” Aguirre said, in an interview. Sanchez narrated how he and the other security aides of De Lima played with Dayan’s mobile phone and discovered an intimate video. “Joenel said he saw the videos. Dayan left his cell phone that’s why they fiddled with it and saw two sex videos,” Aguirre said. Aguirre said with Sanchez’s affidavit, there was no longer need to play the video before the House panel investigating the proliferation of drugs inside the New Bilibid Prison. He added that Sanchez’s statement was sufficient to establish the intimate relationship between De Lima and Dayan. Aguirre also said he never said he would present the video before the House hearing.
witnessed the economic rise of China and its transformation from a Third World country into a major global power. Jose previously served as Consul General in the Philippine Consulate General in Shanghai where he stayed from 2011 to 2014 and was assigned to key Asia posts like Beijing, Chongqing, and Shanghai in China, as well as Bangkok and Singapore.
Also nominated to key ambassadorial posts were: Former Makati Rep. Teodoro “Teddy Boy” Locsin, Permanent Representative to the United Nations; Antonio Lagdameo, the United Kingdom; James Lao, Brunei Darussalam; Jose Laurel, Japan; Philippe Lhuillier, Spain; Uriel Norman Garibay, Kenya; Alan Timbayan, Qatar; and Shirley Vicario, Nigeria. John Paolo Bencito