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HIGH COURT GETS TOUGH ON TROS, INJUNCTIONS
(Story on A2)
Bato: Drug lords killed BuCor lawyer By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Rey E. Requejo
TENSION-FILLED SCENARIO. Hostage-taker Archie Paras (inset left) holds a news conference, surrendering a 10-hour hostage saga. Members of a VOL. XXXIIIbefore • NO. 372 • 3 SECTIONSafter 16 PAGES • P18 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2020 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com police SWAT team (right) enter a mall in San Juan City on Monday with guns at the ready after reports that a disgruntled security guard was holding a group of people hostage. The situation was continuing after sundown at 6.04. AFP
House defers action ABS-CBN Mall guard gives up on after10-hr standoff, holds press conference By Maricel Cruz, MJ Blancaflor, Rey Requejo
SPEAKER Alan Peter Cayetano said
BytheJoel E. Zurbano House is likely to delay hearings and Francisco Tuyay until May or on ABS-CBN’s franchise
August, even though President A 10-HOUR hostage drama endedRodriwith a gospeech–virtually Duterte said he wants lawmakers to long an impromptu press discuss the issue before the franchise conference–from former security guard expires on March 30. his grievances in Archie Paray who aired a press ofbriefi ng, Presidential front In of members the media, local govSpokesman Salvador Panelo said the ernment officials, policemen and bystandPresident had nothing to do with the ers outside Virra Mall shopping center delay in Congress or the quo warranto around 8 p.m. yesterday. petitionsurrendered filed by Solicitor General Paray peacefully to Jose San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora and laid down his gun and four grenades. Zamora accompanied Paray outside the administration office where he was permitted to aired his grievances, including allegations of security officials receiving
Calida seeking to revoke ABS-CBN’s franchise. “What is important is, the President said, they should do something about money from stall owners. it. “I’ve Meaning to say, job. since If been having do thistheir problem there is a pending application before December and I told the management Congress, members of Congress about my then issues. They ignored my comshould deliberate on result,” it and Paray decidesaid plaint, and this is the whether or not to grant or to deny the in Filipino. extension,” Panelo said. with the secu“I also raised complaints There are 11 bills seeking extend rity official who I shot earliertobut he also ABS-CBN’s franchise for 25 ignored my complaints. Myanother conversations years are pending, but Cayetano said with these officials are in my phone, in the be able caseHouse anyonewould can recover it.” to tackle Next page Paray, who was fired for always being absent without leave, shot and wounded fellow security guard Ronald Velita and then held hostage at least 30 people inside the popular shopping mall in Greenhills, San Juan City on Monday morning. Next page
12 senators defy VFA abrogation By Macon Ramos-Araneta and MJ Blancaflor CROSSING party lines, 12 senators have adopted a resolution challenging President Rodrigo Duterte’s unilateral abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement between the Philippines and the United States before the Supreme Court. “I filed the resolution asking the Su-
preme Court to interpret for us, to finally interpret the Constitution on the issue of abrogation...We want clarity and I hope that once and for all the honorable SC could shed light on this purely question of law,” said Senate President Vicente Sotto III. With the vote, the resolution will now be included in the petition to be filed by
DRUG lords at the New Bilibid Prison could be behind the killing of Bureau of Corrections former legal counsel Anthony Fredric Santos, also a witness in the Good Conduct Time Allowance anomaly, said Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa
on Thursday. Dela Rosa, who served as BuCor director before he ran for senator, came up with this statement based on his own experiences. “Most likely, those behind the killing, based on my experience, the drug lords jailed in Bilibid ordered the killing of our Next page
Immigration man tags 5 in ’pastillas’ Syndicate behind scheme exposed in Senate probe By Macon Ramos-Araneta and MJ Blancaflor
VOL. XXXIV • NO. 22 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2020 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com
F
House divided amid coup plot
ORMER airport officials and employees of the Bureau of Immigration are behind the “pastillas” system by which Chinese workers and fugitives enter the country by paying bribes, a whistleblower said Thursday.
In a Senate hearing on human trafficking and prostitution, Immigration officer Next page Allison Chiong said these officials were behind the syndicate that facilitated the smooth entry of Chinese nationals who enter the country to work in Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators. Chiong said these groups worked with China-based travel agencies, who send them a list of names of people who are about to enter the country. “The syndicated groups would often By Maricel V. Cruz compete with each other to gain favor from the Chinese travel agencies,” Chiong MID coup rumors at the House of Representatives, said. He revealed they gave used bribes rangsupporters of Speaker Alan Peter that Cayetano ing from P50,000 and P200,000 so that their superiority in numbers to seize two critical the Chinese nationals—even those that committee chairmanships. I DO. Immigration officer 1 Allison Chiong (top left) tells a Senate committee hearing Thursday he is the source of the video showing officers facilitating the immigration process have been blacklisted—can freely enter for Chinese POGO workers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Chiong named the current and former immigration officials involved in the bribery scheme as Traffic Control the country, passing through Immigration The Red upheaval came the heels of Cay- counters Davaowithout City Rep. Isidro Ungab Enforcement Unit officers Bien Guevarra, Glenn Comia and Den Binsol. Chiong said these officials were under Ports Operation Division Chief Marc Mariñas. Ey on Acasio any question. Next was page etano’s disclosure that Marinduque Rep. removed as chairman of the powerful Lord Allan Velasco is out to remove him Committee on Appropriations, and was as Speaker. replaced by ACT-CIS Rep. Eric Yap. Under a term-sharing agreement broUngab was earlier endorsed by Davao kered by President Rodrigo Duterte, City Mayor Sara Duterte’s Hugpong ng Velasco is supposed to assume the speak- Pagbabago (HNP) for the speakership, but tion from the government if he feared for he told Next page ership in October. lostreporters. to Cayetano. By MJ Blancaflor his life, and assured him that President “If Espenido would want to ask for any PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte will not let Duterte would not hurt anyone ‘‘outside protective measure from the government, “They have economies scale,” Duque By Macon Ramos-Araneta embattled Lt. Colonel Jovie Espenido to legal processes. then he can so request just like any other said, adding that this made their vaccines beAddress harmed,(above) the Palace said Thursday “If that is the fear of Colonel Espe- citizen. HOUSE HITCHED. The joint session ofcheaper. Congress in 2016, during the State of the Nation of President Rodrigoafter THE Philippines has no budget to develEspenido said the government could go nido, then we cannot stop him from Meanwhile, Espenido welcomed the Duterte. Monday, the leadership problem in the House of Representatives tookdeveloping a repugnant turn as the supporters of Speaker Alan op its own vaccines, which would need He dismissed reports that Peter Cayetano used their superiority in numbers to seize another critical committee. Inset above (from left) Cayetano; Rep. Lord Allan after him since he was included in its drug entertaining such apprehension. But due process granted NaAppearing for the fiby rst Philippine time before a billions and billions of pesos that it can- countries are being sidestepped in the By Macon Ramos-Araneta Velasco; Rep. Isidro Ungab; Rep. Ron Salo; Rep. Eric Yap; Rep. Doy Leachon. Lino Santos watchlist. the President will not allow anyone tional Police Chief Archie Gamboa to the Senate hearing on anomalies surroundnot afford, Health Secretary Francisco distribution of vaccines, saying big comand MJ Blancafl or Presidential Spokesman Salvador Pan- to be hurt outside legal processes or ing policemen on Duterte’s latest drug watch Philippine Offshore Gaming OpDuque III said Thursday. panies are mandated to lead in developelo said Espenido could ask for protec- RESIGNED methods sanctioned by law,Vitaliano Panelo erators list, including him.Tulfo linked Next Justice Secretary page (POGOs), Aguirre In an interview over radio dzMM, ing vaccines for diseases such as the new Aguirre III was the “protector” of the to the scheme by which illegal Chinese Duque said it was more cost-effective coronavirus (COVID-19). bribe-taking “pastillas” scheme at the Bu- workers and fugitives were allowed ento buy vaccines from rich countries that Duque pointed to research in China reau of Immigration, the country’s special try into the country by paying bribes to have the capacity to develop the drugs. Next coropage THE global death toll from the new A second person died in the northwestern envoy to China Ramon Tulfo told the Sen- Bureau of Immigration officers. navirus (COVID-19) epidemic surpassed US state of Washington as President Don- ate Monday. Next page 3,000 on Monday after dozens more died ald Trump, who has played down the risk Pundits and critics alike say the Na- ation, he said, had become unprecedented, at its epicenter in China and cases soared of a major outbreak, facedparts) criticism over (First of two tional Capital Region’s trash output is a Filipinos selfishly threw their refuse evaround the world, with a second fatality on his administration’s lack of preparedness. ticking time bomb, indicative of a similar erywhere―mostly into water systems― US soil. South Korea, the biggest nest of infecproblem experienced across the country, and massive clean-up drives only moved By Jimbo Gulle The virus has now infected more than tions outside China, reported nearly 500 and recent statements by government of- tons of litter from one place to another. 89,000 people and spread to over 60 countries new cases on Monday, raising its total past IF YOU think Metro Manila’s traffic is ficials have only underscored the issue. In an environmental forum that month, after first emerging in China late last year. 4,000. Nextwill, pagein a problem, the garbage situation Last December, Environment Secretary Cimatu said the Department of Environmodern social media-speak, tell you to Roy Cimatu said the country was in the ment and Natural Resources would issue, “hold its beer.” middle of a “garbage crisis.” Waste generTurn to A3
Cayetano rivals lose two panel chairmanships amid shakeup
A
Fund lack blocks move to develop Palace offers govt protection to controversial cop vaccines; Duque prefers buy option Ex-DOJ chief tagged in 'pastillas' Virus toll surges; murder raps vs sect
Garbage crisis in Metro: A ticking time bomb
DOH looking for tourist who faked info By Macon Ramos-Araneta, MJ Blancaflor and Vito Barcelo
SUMMIT AGENDA. The deadly coronavirus is set to dominate the agenda of
the high-level Vientianne summit Thursday, asTHE China’s foreign minister meets with his Department of Health is tracking Southeast Asian counterparts whose countries’ have been City, hard-hit a economies tourist from Daegu theover center of fears of widespread contagion. Inset is a photoSouth taken Korea’s Wednesday showing novel a laboratory ballooning coronatechnician holding samples of virus at a laboratory in Hengyang in China’s central Henan virus (COVID-19) outbreak, who gave province. AFP
false information about his travel details
Virus control efforts working—China
VIENTIANE, Laos―China’s efforts to control the deadly outbreak of a new coronavirus “are working,” Beijing’s top diplomat said Thursday, attributing an easing in new cases to his country’s WOMEN’S MONTH. Tingog “forceful action” against the illness. Party-List Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez, Speaking in Laos before talks with as deputy speaker, presides during the peers from 10 at Southeast plenary sessionthe Monday the HouseAsian of (ASEAN) countries, Yi said of the Representatives during Wang the celebration outbreak wasWomen’s “controllable International Month.and curable” despite the global panic it has seeded. Ver Noveno
“China is not only protecting its own people but also the rest of the world,” he told the summit in Vientiane, referencing a recent sharp drop in new cases of the virus inside China, where it has killed more than 2,100 people. Philippine Foreign Minister Teodoro Locsin Jr. thanked China for its “unprecedented domestic measures and quick action”―apparently referring to the Next page
when he arrived in Cebu City on Feb. 25. Twenty-six foreign tourists from Daegu City in South Korea arrived one day before the Philippines announced a selective travel ban on North Gyeongsang Province, where Daegu is located, Health Assistant Secretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said Monday. Next page
Louvre closes amid COVID-19
CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER. Former Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II (right) has been tagged as a protector of the so-called “pastillas” bribery scheme that allows the unimpeded entry of Chinese tourists into the country, a Senate inquiry revealed Monday. Columnist and special envoy to China Mon Tulfo (left) said information provided by immigration whistleblower Allison Chiong revealed that a cut of the “pastillas” bribes was delivered via helicopter to Aguirre in Mulanay, Quezon. Lino Santos
'Super Tuesday' to define US polls
FRANCE’S famed Louvre museum AMERICANS eager to know which Demclosed Sunday as coronavirus cases ocrat will face President Donald Trump mounted across Europe and bein November’s election may have a yond, with the global death toll clearer view after “Super Tuesday” – sure nearing 3,000 and Italy reporting a defining moment in the race. LAKAS GATHERING. Officers and members of Lakas-Christian Muslim DemocratstoledbebyaHouse Majority Leader Martin near doubling of cases in 48 hours Four of the country’s 50has states Romualdez (center) pose for posterity during the lunch meeting of the party at the House of Representatives. Romualdez said have the page Next page party will always be a partner of Next the administration to ensure the swift passage of President Duterte’s legislative agenda. Ver Noveno