Manila Standard - 2019 August 5 - Monday

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VOL. XXXIII • NO. 172 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 • MONDAY, AUGUST 5, 2019 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

STORM TRACKER. Weather specialist Benison Estareja gives an update on typhoon ‘Hanna,’ which is expected to induce monsoon rain affecting Metro Manila and parts of northern Luzon. Hanna is forecast to exit PAR by Thursday. Manny Palmero

25 dead in Iloilo sea tragedy 3 boats capsize amid big waves, strong winds

MISHAP. Philippine Coast Guard personnel carries a victim of a boat accident that happened in the Iloilo-Guimaras Strait when three motor boats capsized in rough seas while other rescue drivers place two corpses on top of parts of a boat left above water. In Manila, boatmen play it safe and take their watercraft to higher ground. AFP/Coastguard, MMRDC, Norman Cruz

By Francisco Tuyay

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HE death toll from the sinking of three boats rose to 25 as rescuers retrieved more bodies from the sea off the Guimaras Strait near Iloilo City, officials said Sunday. Squalls tipped over the three woodenhulled outriggers in the strait Saturday as the rest of the country was battered by rains induced by seasonal southwest monsoon winds, the Coast Guard said. The bodies of 14 passengers and crew were recovered, civil defense official Franco Agudo said, taking the toll to 25. The office of Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Trenas reported that of the 25 dead victims, three were minors who all died upon arrival in different hospitals shortly after they were pulled up by responding rescuers in rough waters an hour after the incident. Regional police chief Rene Pamuspusan also confirmed Sunday that 25 people had died, with six others still missing. He said 55 people had been rescued. On Sunday the state-run Philippine News Agency released a dramatic photo of rescue divers placing two corpses, one still wearing a red life vest, on top of the only parts of one boat left above water. Reports from the Police Regional Office-6 said the 12 dead passengers were from M/B Chichi and 13 were from M/B Jenny Vince while no one perished from M/B Kezia. It also reported that a total of 59 passengers from the two motor boats survived the capsizing incident. The PRO-6 said M/B Chi Chi with 47 passengers, four crew memberss; and M/B Jenny Vince carrying 39 passengers were navigating the Guimaras Strait between Parola and Joardan wharfs when they were buffeted by big waves and strong winds past noon Saturday. Several hours afterward, the M/B Kezia with four crewmen but without passengers also capsized while traversing the rough waters of the strait. Next page

Expiring drugs, P18-b ‘hoard’ catch Justice probers’ attention By Rey E. Requejo, Rio N. Araja and Macon Ramos-Araneta THE Justice department will look into an audit report questioning the Department of Health for having P367 million worth of soon-to-expire medicine and medical supplies stored in its warehouses to determine if there is a basis for a full-blown investigation. Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said he would secure a copy of the Commission on Audit report to find out if the huge stock of expiring medicine was a result of corruption. Guevarra made the statement after a lawmaker asked the National Bureau of Investigation to probe the huge stock expiring drugs to determine the culpability of DOH officials led by Health Secretary Francisco Duque III.

“I have not received a formal request from Rep. Bernadette Dy regarding this matter of huge stock of expiring medicine of the DOH. But now that she has mentioned it, I will secure a copy of the COA report and look into any possible criminal aspect,” Guevarra said. “If the matter goes beyond simple administrative liability, then I will direct the NBI to do its own probe,” he added. The NBI is the main investigating agency of the DOJ. In its report, the COA said that as of January 2018, the DOH had stored in warehouses medicines and medical supplies worth P294.767 million. The COA added that these medicine and medical supplies had expiry dates set 12 months later. It said that P72.391 million worth of medicines were only distributed to DOH

Duterte plans talks with Xi in China visit

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Freedom of speech ‘very strong’ under Duterte watch, survey says By MJ Blancaflor A NEW survey shows 59 percent of its respondents believe freedom of speech is “very strong” under the term of President Rodrigo Duterte—but half of them also said it was dangerous to print or broadcast anything critical of the administration. More than half or 59 percent of the 1,200 respondents agreed that they can say anything they want—openly and without fear—even if it is against the administration, according to the survey by Social Weather Stations. Eighteen percent disagreed while 23 percent were undecided.

The survey results also showed a net agreement score of +41, which is classified by SWS as “very strong.” This was 18 points higher than the +23 net agreement score, or moderate, in December 2018. The SWS also found that 67 percent agreed that the Philippine media have freedom of the press while 10 percent disagreed and 23 percent were undecided. However, the same survey also showed that 51 percent of Filipinos agree that it is dangerous to print or broadcast anything critical of the Duterte administration while 29 percent were undecided and 20 percent disagreed. Next page

Franky’s flyboard feat ST MARGARET’S BAY, United Kingdom—A Frenchman who has spent years developing a jet-powered hoverboard zoomed across the English Channel on Sunday, fulfilling his quest just 10 days after failing in a first attempt when he fell into the water Next page while trying to refuel.

Sara in 2022 shakes the tree—Rody PRESIDENTIAL daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio will surely win the presidency if she decides to run, Malacañang said Sunday. Palace Spokesman Salvador Panelo said the mayor was qualified to run, claiming she was “more strict than the President with respect to governance in Davao. “If she decides to run, for sure she will win,” Panelo said in a radio interview. “President Duterte’s experience is mainly on mayoral post. That’s like

Mayor Sara...She’s more strict than the President with respect to governance in Davao,” he said. Duterte held the mayoral post in Davao City for more than two decades. His daughter, meanwhile, was elected Davao City mayor in 2016. Panelo’s statement came after religious leader Apollo Quiboloy, who has close ties with the Duterte family, said Duterte-Carpio had already been chosen by God to follow the footsteps of her

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte is set to visit China to meet President Xi Jinping amid criticism that his government has not been more assertive in dealing with Chinese incursions into the country’s exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea. In a radio interview, Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said President Duterte and Xi are scheduled for talks this month to discuss issues that need to be addressed, including the territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea. “There’s no definite date yet,” he said. Senator Christopher Go, former Next page

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Peppa Pig in a bottle BEIJING—Delicate designs painted on the inside of miniature Chinese snuff bottles by artists like Zhang Yuhua and her husband usually feature calligraphy, floral compositions and traditional rural scenes. Next page

20 KILLED AS GUNMAN FIRES AT WALMART STORE IN TEXAS WORLD B3


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