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THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com
US admiral says Nokor missile plan alarming By John Paolo Bencito A VISITING American official on Wednesday expressed alarm over the intercontinental ballistic missiles possessed by North Korea in his meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte in Malacañang. Admiral Harry Harris Jr., commander of the United States Pacific Command, told Duterte that Washington was worried by the developments in the region. “I am worried. I just came from there,” Harris said. But Duterte said China “has the greatest leverage over North Korea.” On Wednesday, Beijing demanded that Washington to immediately withdraw a package of sanctions on some companies and individuals trading with North Korea. China’s Foreign Ministry insisted its government had fully implemented the UN Security Council resolutions on North Korea, and would punish anyone caught violating the Security Council sanctions under Chinese law. It said it opposed sanctions outside the framework of the Security Council. Harris was accompanied by US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim, US Embassy Defense Attaché Col. Ernest Lee, and US Pacific Command Major General Jeffrey Kruse. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Armed Forces Chief Eduardo Año, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon, presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella, and Foreign Secretary Allan Cayetano were present during the meeting. Duterte likewise met with the officials of China Communications Construction Co. and thanked President Xi Jinping “for going out of his way to help us.” “And I must say that we really need the help of China in our infrastructure. Nothing seems to be moving here at a fast rate because of traffic and, of course, the lack of viable infrastructure,” Duterte said. “So we are hopeful that our talks now will produce results for the good of your country and for our welfare also as you are trying to help us.” CCCC is a transportation infrastructure group in China that is principally engaged in the design and construction of transportation infrastructure, dredging and heavy machinery manufacturing.
Bicameral... From A1 Asked about the challenges he faces, Romualdez said: “It’s more of just simply having the same kind of relationship, strengthening it and just putting it in an even keel, meaning to say to explain to our friends in Washington the President’s policy on many issues. “I think it’s clear that our military alliance with the US is a very strong one and it continues to be strong, and this is shown by the fact that we have many visitors coming here from the military. In fact, Admiral Harris is right here today. He is the commander of the Pacific command, and they’ve also delivered several hardware material for us, the recent delivery of two spy planes. “All of these are part of what that relationship is, a very strong military alliance, and EDCA is just a sort of like an agreement that strengthens that kind of relationship.” In his nomination speech, Lacson stressed that with Romualdez, whom he said started as a television newscaster for RPN-9 in the 1970s, “we guarantee strong diplomatic engagement with the United States.” He said US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim himself welcomed Romualdez’s appointment. In endorsing the confirmation of Romualdez, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said “soon-tobe man in Washington, DC is no babe in the woods in US affairs.” Though principally based in Manila, Recto said, Romualdez had enough contacts in the American capital that he could be considered a Beltway insider. “So wide is his network, I was told, that should Trump drain the swamp, those flushed away and those who will remain are surely friends of his,” Recto said. “So wired is he with the beating heart of the US government that a friend has joked that if the nominee decides to swim across the Potomac unannounced, someone in Foggy Bottom will be waiting with a set of dry clothes for him.” Recto said Romualdez had many other competencies aside from his communication skills, which made him a fine diplomat. He said Romualdez was articulate in both the spoken and written word.
PET sets rules on Marcos protest
screening and hiring of the members of the Revision Committees, the creation of an Exploratory Mission or Retrieval Team and the compensation of those who will eventually take part in the actual
Supreme Court’s Gymnasium in the proceedings. It also included two more areas to be used in the election protest: a portion of the Fourth Floor Parking Level of the SC-Court of Appeals Multi-Pur-
pose Building as well as a room at the back of the Division Hearing Room. The high court also required that each Revision Committee be composed of a coordinator who will be a lawyer, a recorder and a representative, each from the protestant and protestee. It also required the parties to designate their respective alternative representatives. The tribunal also provided for P1,500 per clustered precinct compensation for each Revision Committee, which will cover the members’ compensation and supplies. The coordinator will receive a compensation of P780 while the recorder will be entitled to P480. The remaining P184 will be for their
Bato...
had not fired a gun the night he was shot dead. The information came from a report by the Northern Police District Crime Laboratory. “Qualitative examination conducted on the paraffin cast taken from both hands of the cadaver [referring to Kian’s body] gave negative results to the test for gunpowder nitrates,” laboratory findings said. President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday acknowledged that the Caloocan police may have committed irregularities that led to Delos Santos’ death. “I’m not justifying the Caloocan incident. That is really bad. That wasn’t in the performance of their duty. Do not commit a crime,” the President said during the inauguration of a solar
manufacturing plant in Sto. Tomas, Batangas. The President repeatedly reminded the military and the police that everything should be done with regularity. “You are not allowed to shoot a person who is kneeling down, begging for his life, that is murder,” Duterte said. The President said police who were involved in criminal acts “should get killed.” Delos Santos, who was killed in a police operation in Caloocan City last week, sustained two gunshot wounds to his head, according to a report from the Philippine National Police Crime Laboratory. The PNP autopsy report, however, contradicted earlier reports of a team of forensic experts, which said De-
By Rey E. Requejo
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HE Supreme Court, acting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, has prescribed the rules governing the coming recount or revision of the ballots in connection with the election protest filed by former Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The PET laid down the rules, recounting of the ballots. The PET approved the use of the including the composition,
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fired at them while trying to flee, prompting them to shoot back and kill him. But his family said the gun and drugs were not his, while witnesses disputed the police version of events. CCTV footage showing two policemen dragging Delos Santos from one alley to another, where he was killed, also contradicted their story. Two of the policemen involved earlier admitted that they indeed dragged Delos Santos as seen on the CCTV footage. On Wednesday, police said Delos Santos tested negative for gunpowder nitrates on both hands, indicating he
Duterte... From A1 “Rise and fall on that issue. If I committed a wrong, then fine. Someday I will face the consequences. I’m ready to face the consequences,” he added. Duterte acknowledged that the police may have committed mistakes in the killing of Delos Santos, after CCTV footage showed him being dragged by two policemen to the alley where he was shot dead. But Duterte said he could not visit the wake because it would seem like he was abandoning the police. “The media asked me if I would go to the wake, and I said no. I have expressed my condolences. If the family accepts them, good. But if they won’t, that’s fine with me,” he said. “The thing is, I will not go there, because even if it is true, it is under investigation,” Duterte continued. “If I go there, the perception of the public is, maybe it’s true, that’s why the President visited, to apologize. I don’t want that. Because if I go there, I put down the police.” The President reiterated his vow to let the cops involved go to jail if their liability is proven in court. “There is an investigation conducted by the NBI. So when the time comes and it’s true [that they erred], there’s nothing we can do. They’ll have to face the consequences,” he said.
On Monday night, Duterte said intelligence information alone that Kian was a drug courier was not enough to pin him down as being part of the illegal drug trade. Speaking to reporters at a media roundtable in Malacañang Park, Duterte slammed claims by the local police, including PNP chief Ronald dela Rosa that Kian could be a “legitimate target” of anti-drug operations based on information that he was a source of drugs in the neighborhood. The President said that even intelligence reports could not prove anything in court. Early that night, Duterte said he would let the National Bureau of Investigation probe the killing, and vowed that the cops behind the death would rot in jail if found guilty. The President, however, said that there is no room for the police to misinterpret his orders to destroy the drug apparatus, even if this meant killing those who resist arrest. On Wednesday, PNP spokesman Chief Supt. Dionardo Carlos said the police are ready to counter a group calling itself Patriotic and Democractic Movement or Padem, which claimed to have police and soldiers in its ranks. “The full might of the 190,000-strong PNP will stand in the way of any attempt to destabilize government and challenge our earnest resolve to protect the state and its institutions,” he said.
Faeldon... From A1 bribe givers, bag men, and collectors at the Bureau of Customs based on “vetted and crossmatched” lists provided to his office. According to Lacson, 40 percent of the total 15,000 to 16,000 containers, or 6,000 to 6,400 containers passing through the BOC weekly are “with tara” or bribes. Faeldon denied receiving P100-million payoff as a welcome gift shortly after he assumed the post in 2016, saying in a statement he did not receive or ask anyone to collect money for him “I have not asked anybody to collect tara for me nor have I accepted any tara from anybody. Again, I have not done any form of corruption in my many years of government service nor tolerated those who tried even in the form of request,” Faeldon said. “No is no. The country will appreciate if a third party investigation by a competent body will be conducted so that justice will be served. Just like the Honorable Senator Lacson and the Filipino people, I want the truth to come out,” he added. The so-called “big players” include the Davao Group, which Customs fixer Mark Taguba earlier disclosed in the ongoing Senate probe on the P6.4 billion worth of shabu smuggled from China last May. The other four big players are David Tan,
PCGG... From A1
investigate allegations of corruption and unexplained wealth of Bautista during his stint as PCGG chairman as well as to perform other investigative powers under its mandate. “The PCGG [must] closely coordinate with the National Bureau of Investigation, the Commission on Audit and the Department of Justice in the conduct of its investigation and is further authorized to prosecute cases, when necessary, in accordance with its powers under Executive Order Nos. 1, 2, 14 and 14-A above stated and other relevant laws,” read the two-page order. PCGG is under the administrative supervision of the Department of Justice. In related developemnts: • House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez on Wednesday said the Commission on Elections might receive zero budget for 2018 if Bautista, accused of amassing ill-gotten wealth, would not
supplies or materials. Unlike the old rules, which required that the coordinator must come from high court personnel, the tribunal amended it by saying the Coordinators must come from outside the high court. Because of such requirement, the PET ordered the Office of the Acting Chief Administrative Officer to post the vacancies for the members of the Revision Committees and accept applications for the staffing complement. The Acting Clerk of the Tribunal will screen the applicants for the position of coordinators of the Revision Committee. The PET also created an Exploratory Mission/Retrieval Team that will locate and examine all ballot boxes in
the contested provinces and cities in order to facilitate their retrieval and transport to the Supreme Court compound for the revision. The tribunal also fixed the compensation of the members of the panel of commissioners Justice Jose Vitug as chairperson who will receive P50,000 a month starting July 2017; and his members lawyers Angelito Imperio and Irene RagodonGuevarra who will each receive P45,000 monthly starting July 2017. Lawyer Victor Rodriguez, spokesman of Marcos, welcomed the PET resolution which finally set in motion the requirements needed to pave the way for the revision of votes, saying it is a step forward towards their quest for truth. With AFP
los Santos sustained three gunshot wounds overall. Meanwhile, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said the credibility of eyewitnesses taken into custody by opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros was not in question, since their testimony might now be polluted, given the senator’s anti-government bias. “Of course it will affect the credibility of these witnesses considering the bias of their handler,” Aguirre said. Aguirre, who earlier ordered the National Bureau of Investigation to conduct a parallel investigation on Kian’s death, said the witnesses should instead be transferred to the custody of the witness protection program. “It is the WPP which has the mandate to protect witnesses,” he said.
The Justice secretary then reiterated his offer to the witnesses and the family of Kian for coverage in the WPP after they reportedly received threats. Hontiveros took custody of the witnesses after she visited Kian’s wake last weekend. The three witnesses under the custody of Hontiveros will appear at the Senate inquiry on the incident on Thursday. Hontiveros said two of the witnesses, aged 13 and 16, have signed sworn statements that will be included in the criminal case filed against the three policemen involved. Hontiveros said her office took custody of the witnesses in response to a request from their families to protect them from threats they were receiving.
“Law and order will prevail,” Carlos added. The PNP spokesperson said the top police officials and rank-and-file strongly deny involvement with the group. “We call on these shadowy groups with sinister motives to please spare the PNP from their delusion of getting any form of support from our ranks. We will never allow the PNP to be used in any move to betray the Constitution and grab power,” Carlos said. He also added that the PNP remains faithful to the flag, the Constitution, the Filipino people and to its sworn duty to uphold the rule of law; and obey only legal orders of the duly constituted authorities through the chain of Command. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana urged the public to remain calm and wait for the results of the investigation of Delos Santos’ shooting death. Lorenzana made the statement in the wake of the public outcry following Delos Santos’ death. “We must allow the investigation into this incident to take its full and proper course,” Lorenzana said late Tuesday. The Defense chief also stressed that once allegations of foul play are proven, the perpetrators must be brought to justice and be accountable for what they have done. Lorenzana also assured the family that the implicated police officers, if found guilty of abuses and other lapses, will be punished to the fullest extend of
the law as the President has promised. “I would like to express my deepest sympathies to the family and loved ones of Kian delos Santos,” the DND chief added. Lorenzana added that Delos Santos did not deserve to die in the manner that he did, even if police claims about his being a drug courier were true. Earlier, the four officers implicated in the incident, namely PO3 Arnel Oares, PO1 Jeremias Pereda and PO1 Jerwin Cruz and their precinct commander, Chief Insp. Amor Cerillo, were placed under restrictive custody in wake of the ongoing investigations. The four were earlier ordered relieved over the incident and are now detailed at the National Capital Region Police-Regional Personnel Holding and Accounting Unit pending results of the investigation against them. CCTV footage contradicted their claims that the Grade 11 student fired at them first, prompting them to shoot back and kill the 17-year-old boy. Also on Wednesday, Samar Rep. Edgar Mary Sarmiento said the police’s Internal Affairs Service should be strengthened to become a truly independent body that runs after scalawags and misfits in the police service without fear or favor. Sarmiento said the IAS should be beyond the influence of all members of the police service, including the PNP chief. With Maricel V. Cruz, PNA
Critics... From A1
sub-beat,” he told members of the Philippine Air Force dragon boat team Tuesday night. “He had to work for his in-laws, he was 18 and his wife was 24, reason he worked at the pier carrying on his shoulders ukay ukay including jars,” he said. Customs broker Mark Ruben Taguba told the Senate Blue Ribbon committee Tuesday he handed P5 million in cash as a one-time “enrollment fee” to a friend and “handler” of Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte to facilitate his transactions at the Bureau of Customs. Taguba, the broker of the P6.4-billion shipment of shabu that slipped through Customs in May, said he met “Small”—whom he identified as Davao Councilor Nilo Abellera Jr.— and a certain “Jack” in a restaurant in Davao City to hand over the money in January 2017.
Manny Santos, Teves Group, and a certain Kimberly. Lacson revealed the other top-ranking Customs officials he claimed received grease money from bribers: Deputy Com. Teddy Raval–Intelligence Group, Dep. Com. Ariel Nepomuceno-Enforcement Group, Dep. Com. Gerardo Gambala of the Command Center, Dep. Com. Natalio C. Ecarma III of Revenue Collection Monitoring Group, Dep. Com. Edward James Dy Buco of Assessment and Operations Coordination Group, Dir. Neil Estrella– Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (alleged to collect also for the Office of the Commissioner together with Chris Bolastig); Atty. Zsae de Guzman–Chief, Intellectual Property Rights Division, Atty. Larribert Hilario of Risk Management Office, Joel Pinawin, OIC Chief, Intelligence Division of the BOC (one of the alleged collectors of Director Estrella); Dir. Milo Maestrecampo– Import and Assessment Service; Atty. Grace Malabed, Acting Chief of the Account Management Office and Atty. Alvin H. Ebreo, Director Legal Service under Revenue Collection Monitoring Group. Also on the take are all Section Heads, Appraisers and Examiners in the Formal Entry Division in both the MICP and POM; Athena Dans of the Informal Entry Division MICP; all Section Heads; Appraisers and Examiners in the Informal Entry Division in the POM; MICP and POM Sections 1, 9, 10, and 15
Chief Appraiser and Examiner. Saying that “hell is empty and all the devils are at the Bureau of Customs, Lacson tagged Faeldon as the top beneficiary of the “bribe money,” also called as “payola” or “tara” at the country’s most corrupt government agency. In describing the BOC, Lacson paraphased William Shakespeare’s “Hell is empty, and all the devils are here” quote to portray a horrible place, filled with horrible people doing horrible things to other horrible people. When Shakespeare mentioned this many, many years ago, Lacson said he had never thought at that time that more than 10,000 kilometers away and some 400 years later, he would be describing the Philppines’ present-day BOC. And for the devils, he noted “the BOC is heaven—a heaven that is a haven for crooks, criminals, malefactors, and faeldons… sorry, I meant felons.” While he did not mention the amount Faeldon had been getting from bribers at the BOC, Lacson said an unimpeachable source provided him with information involving a prominent Customs official. Lacson said the source told him that Mr. Customs Official’s total encashment amounted to Five Million One-Hundred Nine Thousand Pesos (P5,109,000) from May 16 to June 28, 2017. The following breakdown follows: P1.5 million check deposit on May 16, 2017, P1.2 million check encashment on June 01, 2017, P699 thou-
sand encashment on June 05, 2017, P1 million encashment on June 08, 2017, P910 thousand encashment on June 19, 2017 and 1.3 million encashment on June 28, 2017. Lacson also said “loud whispers” in the four corners of the BOC compound told of a 100-million-peso ‘pasalubong’ to the newlyinstalled Commissioner, a quarter of which, or P25 million was retained as finder’s fee by his middleman named Joel Teves. “If in the AFP, under a previous administration, you end your stint with the infamous ‘Good bye Pabaon.’ at the Bureau of Customs you start your stint with a ‘Welcome Pasalubong.’ Holy mackerel! With just the welcome, you are already earning as much,” Lacson of the outright cash incentive. He said accepting this welcome gift was much like a slippery slope, citing the saying “Corruption is like a ball of snow. Once it’s set a-rolling it must increase [its roll].” “And just like taking illegal drugs, they find themselves addicted to bribes in exchange for favors. The happiness of the corrupt continues. Indeed, loose morals will blur lines,” said Lacson. He assailed Faeldon, also of the Philippine Military Academy, of having been gobbled up by the system at the BOC. “Unfortunately, instead of going against the system, he was eaten by the system, thereby effectively tolerating and even promoting the impunity of corruption,” pointed out Lacson. With Vito Barcelo and Joel Zurbano
resign from his office. The House Committee on Appropriations was scheduled to hold a briefing for the Comelec’s proposed P16-billion budget for 2018 on Wednesday, but it was deferred to Thursday after Bautista failed to attend it. During the same press conference, Suarez also floated the idea that the sudden increase in Bautista’s wealth in 2015 could have influenced the May 2016 elections. Bautista’s estranged wife, Patricia, claimed he had received commissions from Divina Law for “assisting the law firm clients with the Comelec.” Divina Law is said to be the legal counsel of Smartmatic, a Venezuelan poll technology provider that bagged contracts for the implementation of the 2010, 2013 and 2016 automated elections. • In the Senate, Senator Francis Escudero said Bautista should attend the next Senate probe investigating his alleged ill-gotten wealth to defend himself against allegations he accumulated P1 billion in unexplained wealth deposited in a thrift bank.
Escudero, chairman of the Senate committee on banks, financial institutions and currencies, has directed that an invitation be sent to Bautista to shed light “on this or in this matter.” Ecudero approved the motion of Senator Grace Poe to summon Bautista to the next hearing. In case Bautisa cannot appear at the hearing, Escudero said he should submit a waiver to LDB on his bank secrecy rights so the hearings can proceed without any legal stumbling blocks. “A written waiver on bank secrecy will “untie the tongues” of the LDB officials who assured their cooperation in the ongoing Senate investigation. • In Malacañang, Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella insisted the Palace had nothing to do with the filing of impeachment raps against Bautista. “The Palace hasn’t anything to do with that,” Abella told reporters in a chance interview. Meanwhile, former Negros Oriental representative Jacinto Paras, along with other complainants filed an impeachment complaint Wednesday
before the House of Representatives, citing the alleged hidden wealth of Bautista or misdeclaration in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth and receipt of referral fees or commissions from the Divina Law Office as alleged by his estranged wife Patricia. The group will likewise raise as one of the grounds in the impeachment complaint the criminal liability of Bautista in the hacking of the Comelec website that led to the leakage of voters’ database— as discovered by the National Privacy Commission. Paras’ lawyers Manuelito Luna and Ferdinand Topacio said Bautista’s accountabilities for the data breach and the script tweak of the server during the 2016 elections constitute betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution. • In the House, at least three lawmakers— Reps. Gwendolyn Garcia of Cebu, Harry Roque of Kabayan Party-list and Abraham Tolentino of Cavite—endorsed the impeachment complaint. With Macon Ramos-Araneta, John Paolo Bencito, and Maricel V. Cruz-Bautista