75% of Pinoys unaware of federalism, SWS says By Evalea Casaljay ONLY one in four Filipinos is aware of the federalism, which the Duterte administration is pushing, the latest Social Weather Stations survey shows. The First Quarter 2018 Social Weather Report, showed that only 25 percent of Filipinos know that federalism is being pursued by the administration, while 75 percent only knew about it during the survey. The report also show that 37 percent agree with the federal system of government, consisting of 14 percent who strongly agree and 23 percent who somewhat agree. Twenty-nine percent disagree, consisting of 12 percent who somewhat disagree and 17 percent who strongly disagree. The rest or 34 percent were undecided. Support for the federal type of government was highest in Mindanao with a very strong net agreement score of +43 (59 percent agree, 16 percent disagree), followed by Metro Manila at a neutral +7 (38 percent agree, 31 percent disagree) and the Visayas at a neutral +2 (31 percent agree, 30 percent disagree).
SHOCKING LOSS. Germany’s midfielder Toni Kroos (center) reacts following his team’s loss during the Russia 2018 World Cup Group Football match between South Korea and Germany at the Kazan Arena in Kazan on June 27, 2018. AFP
Germany crashes out of World Cup KAZAN, Russia—Title holder Germany sensationally crashed out of the Fifa World Cup on Wednesday in one of the biggest shocks in the tournament’s history—failing to make it past the opening round for the first time since 1938. Next page
Next page VOL. XXXII • NO. 134 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • FRIDAY, JUNE 29, 2018 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@manilastandard.net
CBCP: No oust-Duterte plot Church calls for sobriety in wake of Rody’s rant; Evasco to join talks
HOSPITAL-GYM. At least 48 patients with Leptospirosis cases are confined at the National Kidney Transplant Institute basketball gym in Quezon City after having been afflicted with the rat-borne disease. Six patients died of the disease, NKTI said. Manny Palmero
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HE Catholic Church said Thursday it will not seek to overthrow President Rodrigo Duterte “under any circumstance,” one day after a political strategist for the Palace said there was a plot to destabilize the government after the Chief Executive called God “stupid.”
Leptospirosis cases on the rise; 99 killed in 2017—DoH By Macon Ramos-Araneta LEPTOSPIROSIS, a bacterial infection caused by contact with rodent urine, killed 99 people nationwide during the first semester this year, an official said Thursday. Health Undersecretary Eric Domingo told ABS-CBN the fatality rate from Leptospirosis was a bit high, almost 10 percent.
“Out of 1,000 infected, we have confirmed that 99 died,” Domingo said. He said Leptospirosis cases increased last week due to heavy rain that caused massive flooding. He said floodwaters contaminated with rat urine swamped large parts of the country. He described as “alarming” the report that the state’s kidney hospital recorded six Leptospirosis deaths in 3 days.
Wanda flagged on duty-free purchases By Rio N. Araja
Wanda Tulfo Teo
THE Commission on Audit has called the attention of resigned Tourism secretary Wanda Tulfo Teo and former-undersecretary for administration and special concerns Rolando Cañizal to the withdrawal of luxury items worth millions of pesos from Duty-Free Philippines Corp. stores in 2017, and the charging of these to funds designed to finance the programs of the Tourism Department. In a 2017 audit report, CoA said P2.52 million worth of items, such as branded bags, luxury brand cosmetics, appliances and chocolates, were withdrawn from stores on the orders from Teo and Cañizal.
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Pork witness takes back word vs Revilla By Maricel V. Cruz PORK barrel scam whistleblower Marlina Sula on Thursday recanted her testimony against former Senator Ramon Revilla Jr. and accused a prosecutor of coaching her to affirm the statements of fellow whistleblower Benhur Luy, who she said lied under oath. When subjected to direct examination during the resumption of the hearing of the case against Revilla at the Sandigan-
bayan, Sula denied meeting Revilla during her employment at JNL Corp., which allegedly handled the bogus non-government organizations of pork-barrel-scam queen Janet Napoles. Revilla, who is facing plunder and multiple graft cases for allegedly pocketing P224 million of his pork barrel funds, said he was elated over Sula’s recantation. “I cried with joy,” the former senator Next page said.
He said among the symptoms of leptospirosis, which could emerge up to 30 days after wading in contaminated waters, are fever, headache, muscle pain, jaundice, difficulty peeing and coughing up blood. He urged those possibly exposed to rat urine to take anti-leptospirosis antibiotics and immediately consult doctors upon experiencing its symptoms. Next page
Sereno bares option to run for senator, hits back at Rody By Rey E. Requejo OUSTED Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno on Thursday said she was considering running for the Senate in the 2019 elections, a complete turnaround from her previous statement that she had no plan to enter politics. “I am open to running for public office. It’s an option,” Sereno told ANC Headstart. She made the statement even as Senator Antonio Trillanes IV said Thursday the opposition had started talking with Sereno to join its senatorial slate. Trillanes, who is part of the selection committee for the opposition Tindig Pilipinas’ senatorial lineup, said he had already talked with Sereno to join their lineup but Sereno had yet to make a decision. “I talked to her personally but Senator [Francis] Pangilinan, who would eventually become the campaign manager, would also talk to her,” Trillanes said during the weekly breakfast forum at the Senate. But Sereno said she needed more time to think before making a final decision on running. Next page
“The church preaches non-violence and sobriety and would not, under any circumstance, actively seek to overthrow the government,” said Bishop Reynaldo Evangelista, chairman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines permanent committee on public affairs. Pastor Boy Saycon said earlier that the government is not discounting the possibility that radical members of the Catholic Church may be used by some organizations to destabilize the government. But Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque played down the remarks of Saycon, one of four officials named to a committee to placate religious leaders who are in an uproar over President Duterte’s remarks.
“Maybe because he is new to government, we will give [him] a thorough briefing on how we go about releasing information to the public,” he said in a mix of Filipino and English. Philippine National Police chief Oscar Albayalde, reacting to Saycon’s remarks, said they have not monitored any serious destabilization efforts against the Duterte administration. Hours after a meeting with officials from the CBCP and PNP officials in Intramuros, Manila, Albayalde said no less than Evangelista had ruled out any plot. “We did not even talk [about it] because it does not exist,” Albayalde added. The President himself said he would Next page remain silent after his rants.
Joma: Reds opting to wait until Duterte term expires By Joyce Pangco Pañares THE communist rebels have given up on the prospect of signing a final peace agreement with the government of President Rodrigo Duterte, saying they would rather support efforts to oust him and wait to resume talks with the next administration. The founding chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines and chief political consultant for the National Democratic Front Jose Ma. Sison issued this statement Thursday, days after Duterte canceled the resumption of peace negotiations this month as well as back-
channel talks between the two parties. “Based on the implications drawn from the current impasse, the NDF can no longer negotiate with a government that is headed by Duterte. So long as he heads the government, the Filipino people, especially the oppressed and exploited, cannot expect any benefit from negotiating with the Duterte regime,” Sison said. “It is relatively easier and more productive for the NDF to participate in the Oust-Duterte movement and to prepare for peace negotiations with the prospective administration that replaces the Next page Duterte regime,” he added.
POLICE MATTERS.
Philippine National Police Chief Oscar Albayalde and Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines’ Cavite Bishop Rey Evangelista discuss security concerns and internal cleansing of the PNP on Thursday at the CBCP building in Intramuros, Manila. (Story on A2) Norman Cruz