Defiant Teves blasts 60-day suspension

By Maricel V. Cruz

SUSPENDED Negros Oriental 3rd dis- trict Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. on Thursday denounced the March 22 decision of the House of Representatives committee on ethics to suspend him for his continued absence without a travel authority.

He tagged as “unfair and illegal” the decision of the ethics panel to suspend him, as his 60-day suspension lapsed on Monday, May 22.

The House ethics panel is set to impose next week a new sanction against him subject to a vote in Congress plenary session.

In a virtual press conference, Teves recalled a phone conversation he had with COOP-NATCCO Party-list Rep. Felimon Espares, the House ethics panel chair, where he questioned the supposed “collegial decision” to impose a 60-day suspension on him for his apparent neglect of legislative duties.

It took Teves, the suspected mastermind in the killing of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo, a month to question publicly the decision of the House ethics panel to suspend him.

(BSKE) this October to take a drug test.

“One of the biggest problems is drugs. Maybe you should take a drug test. Show us that you are ready to serve. I am calling out to all candidates,” said Abalos.

By doing this, the Department of Interior and Local Governments chief said, the candidates can significantly con- tribute to the “Buhay Ingatan, Droga’y Ayawan” or BIDA program, the revitalized anti-drug advocacy campaign of the government. As for the village leaders, Acorda said: “They are subject to intelligence operations. We are hoping that this will be reduced in the coming days. Hopefully, those involved would eventually stop. If not, they will be subject to police operations.”

The PNP chief told reporters this on the sidelines of the launch of the BIDA program in private sector workplaces in Quezon City.

Acorda said these barangay officials have varying involvement in illegal drugs, where some are pushers, some are protectors, and others are financiers.

“But based on our update, there are more or less 430 barangay officials (involved in the illegal drug trade), many of them are in Region VI (Western Visayas),” he added.

Acorda urged the public not to vote for candidates who are involved in illegal drugs.

“I want to take this opportunity to appeal to voters not to consider candidates, who have involvement in illegal drugs, to become our next set of barangay officials,” the top cop stressed.

BIDA PARTNERSHIP.

First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos and Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos (second and third from left, background) join representatives of the top 20 corporations in the country after the signing of the memorandum of undertaking for the BIDA Workplace: Private Partnership Launching at Richmonde Hotel in Eastwood, Quezon City on Thursday. Manny Palmero

HERITAGE sites must be equipped with modern fire prevention systems, Sen. Francis Tolentino said Thursday in the wake of the blaze that gutted the historic Manila Central Post Office last Sunday.

“It’s about time that modern fire prevention systems as part of the National Building Code should be placed along heritage sites across the country,” he said.

“The lesson learned should be – these kinds of buildings are not equipped with modern firefighting devices,” said Tolentino.

He stressed that the Post Office fire should be a wake-up call for authorities to assess the current state of existing heritage sites in the country—including those owned by private individuals— since these historic structures are the silent witnesses of the Philippines’ glorious past. Macon Ramos-Araneta

AnaKalusugan posts 1-year health report

ONE year into its term, AnaKalusugan party-list group has vowed to remain focused on providing healthcare access to every Filipino.

In a summary report of the group’s accomplishment, Rep. Ray Reyes said AnaKalusugan conducted a total of 28 medical missions with more than 8000 beneficiaries across the country in the past year.

Apart from medical missions, Reyes said AnaKalusugan continues to push for laws and policies that will improve public health.

In the past year, AnaKalusugan Party-list filed 66 bills in Congress -- the most notable of which is House Bill No. 0430, which aims to provide free checkups covering blood chemistry and sugar once a year for every Filipino, he said. Maricel V. Cruz