Gov’t agents seize P16.8-m kush from US

GOVERNMENT agents assigned at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) have seized a balikbayan box reportedly containing kush worth P16.8 million smuggled from the United States.

The operation conducted by a composite team from the Bureau of Customs, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and NAIA Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group also resulted in the arrest of the shipment’s consignee in Antipolo City.

Importation documents showed that the shipment, which arrived at the Peoples Air Cargo (Paircargo) Warehouse in Pasay

City, was declared as personal effects from California. However, examinations revealed that the package contained 12,000 grams of kush or high-grade dried marijuana leaves. Under Philippine laws, kush is considered a dangerous drug. The investigators declined to give the name of the consignee. But they said the suspect has been placed under PDEA custody and will be charged with violation of RA 9165 and RA 10863 also known as the Customs Modernization Act (CMTA).

The same team recently intercepted three parcels of smuggled cannabis, ecstasy and shabu worth more than P2.4 million.

The simultaneous operations were conducted at the Central Mail Exchange Center (CMEC), Paircargo, and DHL Warehouse, also in Pasay City.

Customs examiners made physical examination of the parcels and verified the presence of six plastic pouches of candies and one vape cartridge containing THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), 1.020 kilos of ecstasy, and 106.46 grams of shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride).

Revilla proposes no homework for young learners on weekends

SENATOR Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. eyes lighter academic load for elementary and junior high school students, hinting that home works are counter-productive for the children.

Revilla filed Senate Bill 1792, dubbed “No Homework Act of 2023,” meant to give the parents more quality time with the kids who could then engage in non-academic activities.

According to Revilla, take-home assignments lower the productivity and attitude of the students toward education, which in turn leads to more dropout rates and lower grades.

SB 1792 mandates that homework would be allowed only during weekdays, thus only no mandatory homework or assignments on weekends. The measure also provides

Clan mulls indie film on 1st woman-mayor in Cotabato

n By NASH B. MAULANA

A PROMINENT Muslim clan seriously considers retelling the epic story of their great matriarch through a movie.

However, they have a small problem in the project. The one person who could ostensibly provide accurate details on the heroine’s exploits, was already past the centennial age-mark, and memory no longer serves her rightly.

That particular person is Ina Mao, believed to be the only living testimony to the personal life and political lifer of a Bai Bagungan Tan, a highly esteemed Moro woman ruler during Philippine colonial transition regime in the Moroland. Ina Mao, who did household chores in residences of Moro historic characters in the 1900’s has literally transcended Bai Henrietta Sinsuat, 65, Ina Mao’s former ward and granddaughter of Bai Bagungan Tan, disclosed that her family wants the story of her grandmother revisited in a more scholarly fashion—through a biographical indie film on her personal life and colorful political career in the early 1900s. that the students’ assignments must be minimal, should not require more than two hours to finish on voluntary basis.

During the U.S. colonial government, Bai Bagungan Tan became the first Moro woman to serve as district president (mayor) of Buluan in Cotabato in 1905.

The senator cited a 2009 study conducted by The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Program for International Student Assessment (OECD PISA) which indicated that the additional time invested in homework has a negligible impact on a student’s performance.

“Countries that have significantly reduced homework load on students expounds that there is a correlation between assigning more homework to students and increased level of anxiety that leads to low motivation in school work. The additional time allows the children to relax their mind, and increases their ability to better grasp concepts,“ Revilla explained.

Her contemporary Moro woman in power was Rajah Potri, wife of Datu Utto sa Buayan. She was de-facto Sultan of Maguindanao in the last years of the Spanish colonial regime, until a male successor was appointed following the death of Sultan Jalal ud-Deen Pablo in 1888.

Sultan Mohammad Mangigin was anointed in 1896.

Bai Minah “Nikki” Lintongan, a broadcaster at the Catholic-run dxOL in Cotabato City, is a direct descendant of Bai Bagungan.

Lintongan told Manila Standard that the life story of her great grandmother is up for review for a more focused historical documentation:

The four candidates are independents Jose Angelito Aguinaldo, Melencio De Sagun Jr. and Michael Angelo Santos, and the Justice chief’s son, Crispin Diego Remulla, of the National Unity Party. Sagun was a former mayor of Trece Martires while the younger Remulla was elected last year as the 7th District Board member.

Escudero cautions on forging RCEP

SENATOR Francis Escudero has cautioned the government on signing a free trade agreement on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

Escudero said the government must make sure that the country is resilient to internal or external shocks with or without the free trade agreement.

The RCEP is reputedly the world’s largest trade and investment agreement among the 10 countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and five of its major trading partners -- Australia, China, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand.

In 2021, the region contributed about 29.3 percent of global trade flows and more than a quarter of foreign direct investments

In a statement, Escudero urged the executive and the legislative to work together to end the government’s agriculture deficit disorder as reflected in the flat farm sector growth inflicted by Covid-19 pandemic.

“In 2022, ang (the) value of crop, livestock, poultry, fisheries production na (of) PHP1.756 trillion, computed in 2018 constant prices, ay mas mababa pa sa (was lower than the) PHP1.086 trillion production noong (in) 2018,” he noted.

SELFIE. Daughters show love to their mother during a preValentine’s Day selfie at SM City Marikina. Norman Cruz