IN BRIEF

High Court suspends ex-Press Sec. 6 mos.

Oxford, United Kingdom; and Masters in Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College (USAWC).

He also received numerous awards and recognitions, including The Outstanding Philippine Soldiers (TOPS) in 2013 by the Metrobank Foundation and Rotary Club of Makati, and the Lapu-Lapu Award by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte for his valuable contributions to the neutralization of Abu Dar, the last of the original leaders of the Maute-ISIS faction.

Brawner was also conferred the Legion of Merit – Degree of Commander in recognition of his exceptionally meritorious service as the commanding general of the Philippine Army.

Mendoza tapped to lead LTO; COA flags permit tack

By Rio Araja

PRESIDENT

Ferdinand R. Marcos

Jr. has designated 1-United Transport Koalisyon (1 – UTAK) chairperson Vigor Mendoza II as the new head of the Land Transportation Office, Malacañang announced Wednesday. Mendoza will serve as LTO chief, with the rank of Assistant Secretary, based on the list of appointments re -

Rody,...

From A1

“We’ll all have a problem with that. If they do, they’re defying our law and our legal system,” he told reporters at a press conference at the DOJ offices.

On July 18, the ICC’s Appeals Chamber denied the Philippines’ appeal to stop the probe on Duterte’s war on drugs. With the denial, ICC’s Office of the Prosecutor can resume the probe, order the indictment, and recommend the issuance of arrest warrants.

At least 6,200 suspects were killed in police operations based on government records under the controversial war on drugs. Human rights groups, however, said the actual death toll could be from 12,000 to 30,000.

In a statement, the DOJ expressed its “deep disappointment and strong disagreement with the recent ruling.”

“The principle of complementarity enshrined in the Rome Statute, recognizes the primary jurisdiction of national courts to prosecute crimes and ensures that the ICC only intervenes when national authorities are unable or unwilling to do so,” the DOJ said.

The DOJ said that the two dissenting ICC judges “highlight the errors in the majority decision.”

“These dissenting Justices rightly recognized the Philippines’ commitment to upholding the rule of law and maintaining an independent and effective legal system,” it also said.

“Their dissenting opinions underscore

NEDA...

From A1 members, Balisacan said that there is a need to define and develop the guidelines.

He added that those guidelines should be publicly accessible to ensure transparency.

The Maharlika Investment Fund bill was signed into law by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on July 18.

Under Republic Act (RA) 11954, the MIF would be used to invest in a wide range of assets, including foreign currencies, fixed-income instruments, domestic and foreign corporate bonds, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, real estate, and high-impact infrastructure projects for the attainment of sustainable development.

RA 11954 also establishes the Maharlika Investment Corp. (MIC), which will serve as the investment body re -

SC...

From A1 expanded complaint against the Marcoses and the Tantoco family, namely Bienvenido R. Tantoco Jr., Dominador R. Santiago, Bienvenido R. Tantoco Sr., Gliceria R. Tantoco, and Maria Lourdes TantocoPineda for insufficiency of evidence.

The SC also sustained the November 20, 2019 resolution of the Sandiganbayan which denied the motion for reconsideration of the PCGG.

“In order to consider petitioner’s evidence as sufficient to prove the allegations of its expanded complaint, the Court has leased by the Presidential Communications Office on its official Facebook page.

Mendoza, a lawyer, served as a congressman representing the transportation sector under the 1-UTAK party-list group. He replaces Jose Arturo Tugade, who resigned due to his disagreements with the Department of Transportation, LTO’s mother agency. Meanwhile, the Commission on Au- the existence of a legitimate difference of legal interpretation, casting doubts on the majority’s ruling,” it added.

The DOJ said it was committed “to the pursuit of justice and accountability.”

“We will continue to work diligently to address any credible allegations of human rights violations within our jurisdiction. Our justice system stands ready to ensure a fair and impartial investigation, prosecution, and appropriate punishment for any proven crimes,” it said.

The DOJ also said it is committed to “the well-being and support of all victims affected by the drug war.”

“We encourage individuals who have evidence or witnesses related to the drug war to contact our dedicated task force or reach out to our local offices,” it said.

“The Department of Justice will treat all information with the utmost confidentiality and will take appropriate actions based on the evidence provided,” the DOJ said.

Duterte shrugged off the ICC decision, said his former spokesperson and onetime human rights lawyer Harry Roque.

Roque added that Duterte has maintained his stance that he be questioned only by Philippine courts and Filipino judges because the Philippines is a sovereign state.

“He has time and again said that because of this, he will face all his accusers anytime but before Philippine courts and before Filipino judges only,” he added.

Roque cited President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s previous statement that the country will not cooperate with the ICC which he said has no legal right to conduct any investigation in the Philippines sponsible for the overall governance and management of the MIF.

The MIC is expected to have at least P75 billion in paid-up capital this year, with P50 billion sourced from the Land Bank of the Philippines and P25 billion from the Development Bank of the Philippines. Balisacan said the MIF could be tapped for the implementation of any of the 194 high-impact infrastructure projects approved by the NEDA Board chaired by Marcos.

The MIC, he added, would be the one to decide, taking into consideration the risk capital and the rate of returns “because the rate of returns across these projects may vary.” to perform many leaps of logic, engage in presumptions, and create inferences based on other inferences in order to bridge the gaps in the evidence adduced.”

Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, meanwhile, hailed President Marcos’ decision to insulate Maharlika Investment Fund’s handling from politics, saying it is a prudent move that augurs well for the success of the country’s first-ever sovereign wealth fund.

“In the face of such gaps; petitioner’s allegations in its expanded complaint are reduced to mere speculations, insinuations, and conjectures,” the SC said.

“Thus, while it is truly disappointing that nothing has come of this case despite the lapse of 36 years spent in litigation, the Court agrees with the Sandiganbayan that petitioner’s evidence is insufficient to support the allegations of its Expanded Complaint by a preponderance of evidence,” it added. The SC said that while the PCGG sub-

THE Supreme Court (SC) has suspended former Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles from the practice of law for six months and reprimanded another lawyer.

The tribunal’s third division, in an 11page resolution published online on July 18 and promulgated March 27, said it found Angeles and lawyer Amed G. Paglinawan guilty of violating the Code of Professional Responsibility.

The complaint had been filed by another lawyer, Roderick E. Manzano, against Cruz-Angeles and Paglinawan claiming that the two used “grossly abusive, offensive and improper language” in a pleading filed in a case before the Quezon City metropolitan trial court.

LTFRB hits ‘fake’ jeep phaseout info dit flagged the LTO for the issuance of permits to 189 out of 285 driving school applicants despite deficiencies in their documentary requirements in 2022. due to the country’s withdrawal from Rome Statute in 2018.

In an audit report, the Commission cited 66 percent of the total number of driving school applicants in Metro Manila, Cordillera Autonomous Region, Central Luzon, Bicol, Zamboanga Peninsula, and Soccsksargen transmitted incomplete or invalid documents.

Duterte had pulled the country out of the ICC when it announced it would investigate his drug war.

Earlier, ICC Presiding Judge Marc Perrin de Brichambaut said three out of five judges rejected the country’s appeals.

“It is rejected by the appeals chamber by majority and the impugned decision is therefore confirmed,” said the presiding judge.

Former senator Leila de Lima, detained on drug charges filed by the Duterte administration, said she welcomed the ICC’s decision to dismiss the Philippines’ appeal and push through with its investigation.

“This is the last attempt of the Philippine government to go to the aid of those responsible for the murder of thousands of Filipinos in Duterte’s drug war,” she said.

“From hereon, the OTP will soon come out with specific indictments, together with the issuance of arrest warrants, hopefully before the end of the year. By that time, the accused can no longer be represented and aided by the Philippine government but instead have to face the ICC on their own.

“This is justice falling hard on Duterte and his cohorts as they find their world getting smaller, especially once the BBM Administration decides not to actively resist ICC efforts to arrest them here in the Philippines. Now it is Duterte’s time to answer for his crimes against God and the Filipino people. Soon it will also be his moment to plead for mercy, once his world gets as small as the ICC prison cell that is already waiting for him in The Hague.” mitted numerous pieces of evidence, many were excluded because they were not disclosed during the discovery process.

On Tuesday, Mr. Marcos said he rejected proposals for him or the secretary of Finance to chair the MIF, saying that it must be run by competent and independent financial managers to insulate it from political interference.

“President Marcos’ demand for MIF investment decisions and management to be predicated solely on sound financial and business practices manifests his resolve to ensure the fund is adequately safeguarded and would grow to achieve its purpose,” said Romualdez, who is one of the principal authors of the House version of the bill creating the MIF.

“It is a prudent move on the part of the President that would bolster its potential to achieve its purpose of mobilizing additional funds without the need for additional borrowings or taxes to accelerate the implementation of flagship infrastructure projects meant to sustain the country’s robust growth,” he added.

It noted only 11 exhibits and four testimonies were admitted as evidence.

But after evaluation by the anti-graft court of the remaining admissible evidence, it concluded that such pieces of evidence were either insufficient to prove the allegations of the expanded complaint, or were unrelated to the facts sought to be proved by the PCGG.

Apart from failing to prove the allegation that the Tantocos were dummies of the Marcoses, the High Court said the PCGG failed to prove that five percent of the franchise tax paid by the Duty

NOT all old and traditional jeepneys will be stopped from plying the streets after the Dec. 31 deadline for joining a cooperative or corporation under the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program, the government clarified Wednesday.

At a news conference in Quezon City, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board member Mercy Jane Paras-Leynes said phasing out all old jeeps “is fake information.”

She noted that “disinformation” had spread that all iconic jeepneys would be banned from the roads starting Jan. 1, 2024. Rio N. Araja

DOH reminds public of PWD work rights

THE Department of Health reminded the public of the inclusivity of people with disabilities (PWDs) during its launch of National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation Week. Dr. Melaco Peña III, President of the Philippine Academy of Rehabilitation Medicine, addressed the issue of discrimination against individuals with disability, particularly during employment.

“We put into mind the magna carta of the rights of the disabled wherein they are given equal access and opportunity to education, employment, health, and future plans of making a livelihood,” he said.

Peña reminded the event that physical rehabilitation is only one aspect of inclusivity and may be done at home for individuals who cannot afford rehabilitation medicine and treatment. Gabriellea B. Pariño

Duterte...

From A1 two. If you noticed, we clear the seat plan with the VIP, ask them if they are comfortable sitting beside each other. Sometimes, we have to adjust,” Velasco explained.

“For some reason, they want to sit beside their wife or husband, or they want a caregiver nearby. We have accommodated these types of requests.

[We consider] the sentiments of all types of guests,” he added.

Velasco cited former President and Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who has expressed preference to sit in the VIP section of the House gallery during Mr. Marcos’ SONA.

He said Arroyo may sit in the plenary as an incumbent House member “but we were told that she preferred to be seated at the center.”

Arroyo is also a deputy speaker of the House.

Asked if she would indeed sit in the VIP section, Arroyo said, “Yes, as I do every SONA.”

Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority has released its traffic management plan to be enforced during the July 24 SONA.

Free Shops were given to Mrs. Marcos.

The PCGG filed the forfeiture case in 1987 to recover assets and properties from the Marcos family and their alleged cronies, composed of P609.27 million in shares of stocks and P443.05 million in real properties.

The expanded complaint also alleged that the Tantocos acted as dummies of the Marcoses in acquiring franchises to operate tourist duty-free shops at international airports, hotels, and commercial centers.

“Clearly, these documents are insufficient to prove that respondents concealed illegally obtained assets, or amassed ill-gotten wealth,” the SC said.

CELBERITY LEADS CLEANUP

DRIVE. Actress, environmentalist and United Nations Ambassador of Goodwill Antoinette Taus (left) leads a cleanup initiative at The Las Piñas–Parañaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area (LPPCHEA), also known as the Las Piñas–Parañaque Wetland Park, spearheaded by Planet CORA (Communities Organized for Resource Allocation) and Uniqlo. Danny Pata