PNP to release POGO detainees

THE Philippine National Police (PNP) on Tuesday said it is set to release the five Chinese suspects allegedly behind the operations of a suspected illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) raided in Las Piñas City late last month.

But Brig. Gen. Redrico Maranan, PNP public information office chief, insisted in a Laging Handa briefing that the raid at the POGO hub was a legitimate operation and that they acted under the authority of valid search warrants issued by the court.

In compliance with the July 3 order from the Department of Justice, the PNP would free Li Jiacheng, Xiao Liu, Yan Jiayong, Duan Haozhuan, and LP Hongkun for further preliminary investigation.

MTRCB rejects call to shelve ‘Barbie’ movie

By Nickie Wang

WARNER Bros.’s controversial film Barbie starring Margot Robbie in the titular role has received the green light from the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) for its commercial release in the Philippines.

In a three-page letter addressed to the office of Senator Francis Tolentino, who had lobbied for the film’s prohibition, the board stated there is “no basis” for a ban.

Concerns arose about the fate of Barbie due to allegations that a scene in the film depicts a map illustrating China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea using the contentious nine-dash line.

The MTRCB emphasized its mandate to ban content that harms the country’s reputation, but since Barbie does not depict the “nine-dash line” explicitly, the board found no reason to ban it, citing previous cases involving films like Abominable and Uncharted.

Last month, Vietnam’s own film regulation board recently decided to prohibit the movie from being released, prompting the MTRCB to confirm that a committee was deliberating Warner Bros.’ request to exhibit the film in the country.

Last Friday, the Califoprnia-based film defended the map and suggested in a statement that it carried no significant meaning.

“The map in Barbie Land is a whimsical, child-like crayon drawing,” Warner Bros. said. “The doodles depict Barbie’s make-believe journey from Barbie Land to the real world. It was not intended to make any type of statement.”

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Cope Thunder, a joint exercise of the US Air Force and the Philippine Air Force, is ongoing until July 21. Castillo’s statement came on the heels of the call of Senator Imee Marcos to investigate the arrival of several US air assets in the country.

She also called on concerned government agencies to monitor the presence of US military aircraft and Chinese naval ships “equally.”

But Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar said that there was no discrimination in the military’s monitoring of aircraft and vessels entering Philippine territory.

“When it comes to monitoring, it is inherent in our job to monitor everything. In the entry of aircraft, there is a process involved. It goes through the right process,” Aguilar said.

Marcos on Sunday raised concern over the presence of at least two more C-17 Globemasters of the US Air Force in Manila and Palawan.

While acknowledging the ongoing military exercises between the two countries, she said there is a need to shed light on the activities of US Air Force planes in Philippine air space.

Marcos earlier asked the Senate to investigate the mysterious activity of a US Air Force C-17 that landed at NAIA on June 26 at 8:08 am. and departed NAIA at 6:10 p.m. for Palawan for a 10-hour unexplained gap.

“Too little is known about ongoing US military activity in our territory while we constantly call out the presence of Chinese vessels in the South China Sea,” the senator and presidential sister said.

“The legal officer of the Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) said the five Chinese nationals would be freed but they have yet to be fetched or received by a representative or their counsel. We continue to coordinate with their counsel so we can turn them over and we also continue to coordinate with the Bureau of Immigration (BI) on this matter,” Maranan said.

The five were the subjects of search warrants that led to the ACG’s June 27 operation at Xinchuang Network Tech- nology, Inc., located along Alabang-Zapote Road in Barangay Almanza Uno, for alleged human trafficking. Maranan also said the PNP will “take note” of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla’s advice to be circumspect at all times in the conduct of future raids to ensure airtight cases that can withstand scrutiny in courts.

“First of all, we will have a case buildup when we have such kinds of information. We first gather important information and validate the information we get. The next thing is to apply for a SW (search warrant), that’s why we will go to court, we will present to the court the evidence we gathered during the investigation and surveillance and once we have presented it to