Tulfo wants UM prexy grilled on death threats vs. griping students

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

SENATOR Raffy Tulfo is seeking a Senate inquiry into the alleged “irregularities” involving the University of Manila (UM) president and other school officials that resulted in the failure of 40 civil engineering students to graduate.

Tulfo wants the UM administrators, along with Commission on Higher Education (CHED) officials and students who experienced the allegedly crooked system of the university.

The senator decried the UM president’s threat that those who would fight the school would end up dead.

The graduating students, who first complained on “Wanted sa Radyo” against their university, met with Tulfo’s staff, together with CHED representatives and UM officials last July 25 to discuss the issue.

Tulfo said all the said students got a failing grade of 70 from a professor who immediately left after issuing the ratings.

Tulfo noted that his staff who attended the meeting noticed that there were indeed irregularities and grave injustice committed by UM officials against the students.

CHED lawyer Spocky Farolan shared the same observation, saying the students were probably victims of estafa.

Tulfo also questioned the logic of some questions asked of the students in their test papers.

These questions included “What is your subject?”; “Define and explain why this subject is important in your course;” and “Give at least three practical examples on its importance.”

Tulfo described as “extremely alarming” the threat of the UM president that was put on speaker during the meeting that everyone who fights with and gets on the bad side of the school would ends up dead.

Poe foresees end of text scams with SIM law in place

By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Maricel V. Cruz

THERE is no room for fraudsters to carry out their nefarious trade without being tracked and be made accountable after the end of the subscriber identity module (SIM) registration on July 25, according to Sen. Grace Poe.

With the seven-month SIM registration now over, Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte on appealed to law enforcers to crack down harder on violators of this new law and of the Cybercrime Prevention Act.

“The end of SIM registration signals the beginning of intensified crackdown on mobile phone scammers,” said Poe, author and sponsor of the Republic Act 11934 or the SIM Registration Act.

She said authorities can now run after scammers who continue to defraud the public using the SIM of their mobile phones.

“This is a challenge to law enforcers on how they can give an example to SIM Registration Law violators, “ Poe added.

With the law in effect, the chairperson of the Senate committee on public services pointed out that the Philippine National Police (PNP) and concerned enforcement agencies now have mechanisms and reliable data to monitor SIM-related crimes.

She said the PNP will no longer be clueless on text scams.

“Hindi na mangangapa sa dilim ang PNP kapag may nagreport ng text scam,” she said in a text message.

The senator also confidence on swift responses by the authorities against cellphone scams.

The SIM Card Registration Law seeks to end crimes using text scams.

It requires all telecommunications providers to submit a verified list of their authorized dealers and agents nationwide to the National Telecommunications Commission and an updated list of the same every quarter of each year.