IN BRIEF

Ombudsman orders

ARTA chief sacked will be charged against the existing appropriations of respective agencies and LGUs.

Republic Act No. 11223 or the Universal Health Care Act of 2019 provides that the State shall adopt a framework that fosters a whole-of-system, whole-ofgovernment, whole-of-society approach in the development and implementation of health policies, programs, and plans to ensure a people-oriented approach to the delivery of health services.

The health development plan operationalizes one of the strategies under the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028, particularly on the promotion of human and social development by boosting health through an accessible, efficient, and strengthened healthcare system.

1,000 Bilibid staff dismissed over deadly gang tiff

By Rey E. Requejo

ABOUT 1,000 personnel of the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City have been relieved from their posts following a gang fight inside the state penitentiary that left an inmate dead and nine others injured.

NBP deputy director Angelina Bautista said that the staff members were sacked for allegedly “conniving” with

Marcos...

From A1 in the country and create more than 8,000 new jobs.

“We are optimistic that these signed LOIs will materialize in the coming months,” Pascual said.

One of the signed LOIs is with Malaysian dairy company Farm Fresh Berhad, which is keen on breeding cattle for milk production. The $20 million milk project is projected to start commercially by 2028 employing 200 workers.

Pascual said the new investments are on top of the ongoing construction of a 6,000-square-meter dairy processing facility in Pampanga with a lease contract for 200 to 400 hectares of contiguous farmlands suitable for raising 2,000 milking cows.

The President flew to Malaysia for a three-day state visit after receiving an invitation from the King of Malaysia.

Pascual joined the President in a series of meetings with Malaysian businesses during the trade mission, which is part of the President’s state visit to Malaysia.

The President said the meetings proved that the two neighboring countries are on the right track in establishing each other as an ideal investment partner.

“The investments that we have agreed on so far will inject a total of about $285

China...

From A1 first,” Brawner added.

The military chief cited President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s policy statement that when it comes to foreign policy, the Philippines is “a friend to all and an enemy to none.”

For his part, Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian urged Manila to “resist external interference” in addressing matters concerning the Indo-Pacific region, citing the need to maintain “good neighborliness.”

Huang made the statement during the 96th founding anniversary of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army on Wednesday which was attended by Brawner.

‘Egay’...

From A1

Strong winds and heavy rain pummeled the lightly populated Babuyan islands and northern provinces, triggering flooding and landslides.

A mother and her three children were killed Wednesday morning when a landslide struck their house in Buguias municipality in the mountainous province of Benguet, local disaster official Satur Payangdo said.

Five other people in the house were rescued.

That took the death toll to six after a woman was killed by a falling coconut tree in Isabela province and a 16-yearold boy was crushed to death by a landslide in Baguio city.

Egay had been a super typhoon as it inmates. Among those relieved were the camp commander and officers who were on duty when the fight broke out. Meanwhile, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Thursday said there could be more mass graves inside the maximum-security compound of the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City.

“We think that we might find two more mass graves inside the maximum- security compound,” Remulla said in an interview with CNN Philippines.

The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) earlier said the incident stemmed from two members of the Bahala Na Gang and Batang City Jail who had a quarrel that was eventually settled before they parted ways. But one of the inmates pulled out a gun and started shooting, injuring fellow inmates.

THE Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the dismissal from service of former Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) director general Jeremiah B. Belgica and four other officials after finding them guilty of grave misconduct in connection with the grant of telecommunication frequencies to NOW Telecom Company Inc.

In a 14-page decision prepared by a four-member special panel and approved by Ombudsman Samuel R. Martires, the anti-graft body declared Belgica, his former deputy Eduardo V. Bringas, division chief Sheryl N. Pura-Sumangil, and directors Jedrek Ng and Melamy A. Salvadora-Asperin guilty of grave misconduct.

The order carries the accessory penalties of cancellation of civil service eligibility, forfeiture of retirement benefits, and perpetual disqualification to hold public office.

If the penalty can no longer be enforced due to separation from the service, the same shall be converted into a fine in the amount equivalent to the respondents’ salary for one year, payable to the Office of the Ombudsman, and may be deductible from their retirement benefits, accrued leave credits or any receivables by respondents from their office.

The case against Belgica and company stemmed from a complaint filed by DITO Telecommunity Inc., which accused the respondents of giving preferential treatment to NOW Telecom. Rey E. Requejo

Manila court acquits activist Nasino

A MANILA court has acquitted an activist who lost her baby while undergoing trial, in a case that highlighted concerns over the plight of pregnant women under detention.

million, serving as a robust and affirmative indication of the ongoing trust and keen interest of businesses and investors in the Philippines,” President Marcos said.

The Philippines is considered a conducive business environment for foreign investors as many see the country as one of the best-performing economies in the Asia Pacific region, he said. Pascual lauded the Malaysian com -

According to Huang, countries in the region “must keep abreast with the changing times” and “avoid Cold-War mentality and ‘bloc’ confrontation.” He underscored the need to “resist external interference and jointly safeguard the regional peace dividend.”

“China is willing to work with the Philippines to adhere to independence and good neighborliness, deepen practical cooperation in various fields, properly manage differences through consultation and dialogue, and ensure China-Philippines relations remain healthy and move steadily into the future, so as to write a new chapter of friendship and cooperation between the two countries,” Huang said.

Huang said that Mr. Marcos and Chinese President Xi Jinping have agreed to handle “maritime issues through swept across the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday but weakened as it neared the Philippines.

At 10 a.m. Thursday, Egay was estimated at 255 kilometers west of Itbayat, Batanes, packing maximum sustained winds of 150 kilometers per hour near the center and 185 kph gusts, the state weather bureau said.

In the next three days, the habagat or monsoon enhanced by Egay would continue to bring occasional rains over the western portions of Central Luzon and Southern Luzon, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said.

It kept wind signal 2 raised over Batanes, the northwestern portion of Cagayan (Claveria, Santa Praxedes) including Babuyan Islands, and the northern portion of Ilocos Norte (Pagudpud, Adams, Bangui, Dumalneg, Burgos).

Structures made of light materials panies for their sustained interest and confidence in the Philippines and apprised them of the investment opportunities in the country. friendly consultations.”

Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez on Thursday hailed the partnership established between the Philippines and Malaysia in the Halal industry, saying it would create more jobs and business opportunities for the people of both countries.

“As long as the consensus between our top leaders is implemented in real earnest, we will be able to see new progress in the mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries, and contribute to peace and stability in the South China Sea,” Huang said.

China has consistently rejected an international arbitral ruling invalidating its nine-dash-line claim over the entire South China Sea.

Meanwhile, Brawner said the AFP is looking to acquire multi-role fighters, additional naval assets, and shore-based deterrents for Horizon 3 of its ongoing modernization program.

“For the 3rd Horizon of the (AFP) modernization program we are looking at acquiring multi-role fighter aircraft, naval assets, command and control or could be partially damaged or unroofed in these areas, while most banana plants and some trees could be broken, PAGASA said.

Signal 1 was raised over Pangasinan, La Union, Ilocos Sur, the rest of Ilocos Norte, the rest of Cagayan, Apayao, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Abra, Benguet, Isabela, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, the northern portion of Aurora (Casiguran, Dinalungan, Dilasag), the northern part of Nueva Ecija (Cuyapo, Guimba, Pantabangan, Science City of Muñoz, Carranglan, San Jose City, Lupao, Nampicuan, Talugtug), and the northern portion of Tarlac (Paniqui, Moncada, Pura, Camiling, Ramos, San Manuel, Anao, San Clemente).

Thousands of passengers were stranded in ports nationwide due to ‘Egay’.

Strong winds brought by typhoon Egay damaged structures in Aparri, Cagayan.

In a resolution dated July 17, 2023, Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 47 Judge John Benedict Medina acquitted Reina Mae Nasino and her two companions, Ram Carlo Bautista and Alma Moran, of illegal possession of firearms and explosives due to insufficiency of evidence. Nasino was pregnant when she and her companions were arrested in November 2019. She gave birth while under detention. Her baby, named River, died after being separated from her mother.

In acquitting the three, the court reconsidered its earlier ruling which dismissed their demurrer to evidence, essentially a motion to dismiss due to lack of prosecution evidence.

Mindanao...

From A1

Former president Rodrigo Duterte issued Proclamation 55 on Sept. 4, 2016 after an explosion in Davao City killed 14 individuals and left more than 60 hurt.

Duterte, in his proclamation, cited lawless violence in Mindanao, including abductions, hostage-takings and murder of innocent civilians, the bombing of power transmission facilities, highway robberies and extortions, attacks on military outposts, assassinations of media people, and mass jailbreaks.

Proclamation 55 was also issued amid government intelligence reports about “credible threats of further terror attacks and other similar acts of violence by lawless elements in other parts of the country, including the metropolitan areas.”

Meanwhile, a low-pressure area (LPA) outside the Philippine area intensified into a tropical depression on Thursday morning, PAGASA said.

At 10 a.m., the new cyclone was spotted 1,585 kilometers east of Eastern Visayas, packing 55 kph maximum sustained winds and 70 kph gusts, the weather agency said.

It may enter PAR on Saturday evening or Sunday morning as a typhoon and will be called “Falcon.”

While it is not expected to directly hit the country, the cyclone will enhance the “habagat,” which could bring more rain in parts of Luzon and the Visayas, PAGASA weather specialist Benison Estareja said.

Damage and losses to agriculture due to Typhoon Egay have been estimated at P53.1 million as of Thursday noon, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said.