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FRIDAY, JANUARY 13, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com
IN BRIEF Sandiganbayan to begin plunder trial of Revilla on Feb 9 THE Sandiganbayan will begin on Feb. 9 its trial on the plunder case filed against detained former Senator Ramon ‘‘Bong’’ Revilla Jr., after the court asked the prosecution to make corrections in the pre-trial brief to be signed before trial begins. A total 119 witnesses will be presented during the trial, lead prosecutor Joefferson Toribio said when asked by Revilla’s new counsel, Estelito Mendoza, the former solicitor general and secretary of justice during the Marcos administration. Of the total witnesses, the 77 were alleged beneficiaries of Revilla’s ghost pork barrel projects, Toribio said. With the number of witnesses to be presented against Revilla, Mendoza said however [the case] will probably take forever. Revilla, in police custody since 2014, said he was “excited” that the plunder will soon begin. “I am excited; hoping this will be expedited, but I think this will take long,” Revilla told reporters after the hearing Thursday. Maricel V. Cruz
Robredo hopes she and DU30 will get along well in the end DESPITE their political differences, Vice President Leni Robredo on Thursday hoped she and President Rodrigo Duterte would get along well in the end. Speaking to a crowd in Barangay 105, Tondo, Manila, Robredo said she was not yet giving up that she and the President could patch up their differences. “I am always hoping. Always, I am hoping for the good of the people that the president and the Vice President get along with each other very well,” she said. Robredo, replying to questions, said she did not want to make a big deal out of the President’s cancellation of his invitation for her to join the Vin d’ honneur in Malacañang Wednesday. “It was not a big deal if I was invited or not. It’s just the manner of how they did it to me,” she said. “If they are angry at me, so be it. But I hope they give a little respect to the Office [of the Vice President]. To me, that would just be fine. I cannot do anything about it. I’ll just focus on my work and not to dwell on it as if it was a big issue.” But she said the President must tone down in dealing with the 1,400 mayors allegedly involved in the illegal drug trade. “We can ask the help of the mayors to fight illegal drugs. The intention was good to meet with the mayors, but to threaten to kill them is a different thing. No one can do that even, especially, if you are the President,” she added. Rio N. Araja
Drilon pushes for review of biz incentives SENATE President Pro-Tempore Franklin Drilon Thursday urged the government to push for the review and rationalization of fiscal incentives granted to businesses as a way of increasing government revenue, rather than continue its plan to raise taxes on petroleum products. Drilon said the Department of Budget and Management, Department of Finance, the Department of Trade and Industry and the country’s economic managers must focus their efforts in supporting the proposed rationalization of tax incentives “to generate additional revenues to help offset projected dip in revenues that may arise from income tax cuts.” “I hope our economic managers will work closely with Congress for the long-sought Rationalization of Fiscal Incentives law instead of spending its time on a tax hike on petroleum products that will surely negatively affect our people,” Drilon said. “If our aim is to increase revenues, then the government should look at reviewing the various laws on the grant of tax incentives and plug the leakages in our tax system,” he added. Macon Ramos-Araneta
SOLEMN DECLARATION. Senator Loren Legarda, cultural worker and former journalist, administers Thursday the oath of office to newly appointed chairman of the government-run National Center for Culture and the Arts Bulacan-born, 73-year-old National Artist for Literature Virgilio Almario at the NCCA Building in Intramuros, Manila. Ey Acasio
DoJ’s Aguirre seeks BIR probe on Lam’s liabilities T “If he doesn’t pay, the government will sequester and sell his properties thru public auction as his payment for the tax liabilities,” the DoJ chief said. He said Lam may also decide to enter into a compromise deal with the government in settling his tax deficiencies, which is allowed under our laws. Aguirre admitted Lam’s camp had sent feelers to the office of the President and Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. for his return to the country. The Justice secretary said Duterte had set specific conditions for Lam’s return—that he must settle his unpaid taxes, legalize his online gaming operation by applying for a license with the Pagcor, face the cases
By Rey E. Requejo
HE Department of Justice has asked the Bureau of Internal Revenue to investigate the tax liabilities of Chinese casino mogul Jack Lam for his illegal online gaming operations in Clark Field, Pampanga.
Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II stressed the BIR should determine the total tax liabilities of Lam as fulfillment of one of the conditions laid down by President Rodrigo Duterte for the tycoon’s return to the country, particularly for the gaming tycoon to settle his unpaid taxes. According to Aguirre, should Lam fail to meet the conditions,
the BIR findings could then be used for sequestration proceedings on assets and properties he left in the country. “The BIR should investigate his [Lam’s] tax liabilities and make him pay. If he doesn’t pay, then his properties will be distrained and those are big ones like Fontana Park and Fort Ilocandia,” he said.
against him and undertake not to corrupt officials here. Lam has been at the center of the controversy involving the alleged P50-million extortion by Bureau of Immigration officials supposedly for the release of 1,316 Chinese workers inside the illegal online casino in his Fontana Leisure Park in November last year. The National Bureau of Investigation is conducting its probe on the extortion scandal and has summoned dismissed BI deputy commissioners Al Argosino and Michael Robles, who received the P50-million cash from Lam’s camp. The NBI also summoned BI commissioner Jaime Morente, dismissed BI intelligence chief
Charles Calima Jr. and former police C/Supt. Wally Sombero, who supposedly served as Lam’s middleman. Argosino, Robles and Calima have all been dismissed from the BI. They surrendered the P30 million and P18-million cash they respectively received from Sombero, who also surrendered P2 million. Calima has filed plunder charges against Argosino and Robles before the office of the Ombudsman. Argosino and Robles, on the other hand, filed criminal charges of corruption of public officials and violation of anti-wiretapping law before the Parañaque prosecutor’s office against Calima, Sombero and Lam.
PMA Class ’84 member gets AFP No. 2 post By Florante S. Solmerin LT. GEN. Salvador Melchor Mison, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, has been promoted to the position of Vice Chief of Staff, the No. 2 position in the AFP. A member of the Philippine Military Academy “Maharlika” Class 1984, Mison’s assumption to his new position is yet to be scheduled by the office of AFP
Chief of Staff General Eduardo Año. Año welcomed the promotion of Mison which was approved by President Rodrigo Duterte. Mison will replace Lt. Gen. Glorioso Miranda, now Army chief and concurrent VCS. Miranda was recently designated Army chief after Año was promoted to his current position. Año and Miranda are “mistah” (classmates) at the PMA “Matikas” Class ’83. Manila
‘Commercial displays along Edsa violate Natl Building Code’ By Joel E. Zurbano SEVERAL outdoor commercial displays along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue violate the National Building Code, according to Metro Manila Development Authority acting chairman Thomas Orbos. But Orbos admitted the MMDA was not the lead agency to regulate oversized and unsafe billboards that also pose undue distractions to motorists and may lead to accidents. “Basically the ineffectiveness of implementing the proper regulations to cover billboards is borne out of the fact that we don’t have the mandate. The mandate is with Department of Public Works and Highways, because of the building code,” he said. “The DPWH has the power. There was a memorandum of agreement signed in 2011 that passed the authority to us but you can’t pass the authority. Therefore we discussed it with the DPWH and we agreed to return to them and [they] be the one to enforce this,” the MMDA chief added. If there is a need to coordinate with local government units, Orbos said, the MMDA will act but the regulation will come from the public works department. Orbos said about 100 billboards displayed along Edsa continue violating provisions of the building code on setbacks, yard requirements, and non conformity to land use, with some even having the nerve to re-erect their billboards after the government’s dismantling operations in the past.
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Replacing Mison in his post, a threestar position, is Rear Admiral Narciso Vingson Jr., (PMA “Sandiwa” Class ’85). With his promotion, Vingson is set to relinquish his current position as AFP Inspector General. Just recently, Vingson was designated AFP-IG, a three-star position. Multiple sources told Manila Standard that Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom) chief Lt. Gen. Mayoralgo
dela Cruz (Matikas member) would be laterally transferred to the AFP-IG position. Dela Cruz has only barely three months remaining in service before he will reach the mandatory retirement age of 56. There is also talk that Army 4th Infantry Division Maj. Gen. Benjamin Madrigal (Sandiwa member) and Maj. Gen. Carlito Galvez, AFP Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations (J3) are candidates to replace dela Cruz at the Wesmincom. WCKF reaches out to far-flung areas. For a fluid start to the year, the Wong Chu King Foundation (WCKF) donated a water supply system to the residents of Brgy. Dugayung in the historic town of Piat, Cagayan. The water supply system will serve as a steady source for 7,000 residents of the barangay. Over the past year, the WCKF also gave away two water systems in separate barangays of the same town. The simple inauguration and turn over ceremony was held at Dugayung Elementary School. In photo are students and staff of Dugayung Elementary School, Mr. Alexander D. Wongchuking (Executive Director), Mrs. Belen Wongchuking, Mayor Carmelo “Black” Villacete, Mr. James Vincent C. Navarrete (General Manager), Mr. Francisco S. Conag (Public School District Supervisor), Msgr. Samuel Baculi, Mr. Camelo Noel H. Navarro (WCKF Volunteer) and Ms. Cristina C. Villanueva (WCKF head coordinator).