BuCor to open 2nd septic tank in Bilibid probe

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

ONE more septic tank needs to be opened and checked to determine if there is indeed a mass grave inside the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) after the first septic tank yielded only a bone from a chicken leg.

This was suggested by Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Gerald Catapang during the hearing inside the NBP’s maximum security compound presided by Sen. Francis Tolentino, chairperson of the Senate Justice committee.

A surprised Tolentino blurted out, “Ha, chicken leg?” on hearing the testimony of NBI Medico-Legal Division member Dr. Annalyne Dadiz.

The ship manned by more than a dozen Marines and sailors has become a symbol of Philippine sovereignty in the offshore territory.

“We do not readily approve their petitions. We still have to verify the data manufacturers provide us. Not only do we verify the information but we also assess the implication of the increases to the market and consumers,” Castelo said.

Most manufacturers have complained of higher costs of raw materials, particularly those sourced from overseas, Castelo said.

She said the DTI acknowledges that imported raw materials like skimmed milk for milk products, imported soft flour for noodles, mechanically deboned meat (MDM) for canned meat products, and iodine and potassium for iodized salt have been on the upswing in the international market. She said the CPG is still assessing the merits of the petitions and that the February 2023 SRP Bulletin will remain in place until another is issued by the DTI. Meanwhile, Castelo urged consumers to buy school supplies from established suppliers to ensure their quality.

Castelo said bookstores and the more formal sellers of school supplies are most reliable in enforcing the “Gabay sa Pamimili ng School Supplies” released by the DTI two weeks ago in anticipation of the school opening this month.

“We just want consumers to be guided accordingly to their product choic- state party to UNCLOS is well aware of that and we call on China to faithfully adhere to its obligations and commitments as a state party to UNCLOS,” DFA said. es,” she said.

Means Committee, particularly cited the continued availment of registered business enterprises for a period of 10 years the tax incentives given before the law took effect.

Salceda said the IRR ignored this transitory provision. He even said this could be one of the reasons why the country failed to attract more foreign direct investments in the past several years.

Beijing suggested settling its dispute with Manila through dialogue, but the Philippines had already expressed frustration that various diplomatic initiatives, including note verbales and direct communication mechanisms, were not working.

Malaya, meanwhile, denied China’s claims that the Philippines vowed to remove its grounded warship in Ayungin Shoal.

In an interview with ANC, Malaya said that the Philippines did not make any commitment to China to remove the BRP Sierra Madre.

“We have no idea what they are talking about. I have talked to our colleagues from the Department of Foreign Affairs, even the ones from the Department of National Defense from the previous administrations.

There was no commitment, whatsoever, as far as the Philippines is concerned and there is no record of any such commitment,” said Malaya.

“There is no record of a meeting or an official record that the Philippines, in the past, committed to China that it will tow away the BRP Sierra Madre,” he said.

The Philippines is using the grounded warship as a makeshift post to safeguard the country’s waters.

For his part, AGRI party-list Rep. Wilbert Lee urged the government to focus on interventions to curb food inflation after a survey revealed that more Filipino families had experienced involuntary hunger in the past three months.

The latest Social Weather Stations survey showed 10.4 percent of Filipino families experienced involuntary hunger – up from the previous 9.8 percent in March.

SWS defines involuntary hunger as being hungry and not having anything to eat.

SWS said the 10.4 percent hunger rate in June 2023 was the sum of 2.1 percent who experienced severe hunger and 8.3 percent who experienced moderate hunger.

According to Dadiz, they conducted the process of forensic identification and through this process, they made use of elimination and comparison and they concluded that the bone was not human.

“We have one piece of bone and this is not of human origin. In all likelihood, through the process of comparison, it is consistent with chicken leg bone,” she said.

“I think the photo, the one that is shown in the media, the one that you have, I think it is just zoomed out. But if you try to compare it with the actual size of a chicken leg bone, it is equal, consistent to a chicken leg bone,” she explained.

Dadiz said they also retrieved from the septic tank a piece of underwear and a razor, but they could not tell to whom it belonged.

She said the septic tank was totally emptied.

Another forensic team from the University of the Philippines is expected to release its examination findings on the bone within the week.

Speaker:...

From A1 on the illegal use of water cannons by Chinese ships on Philippine Coast Guard and civilian vessels resupplying a platoon of Filipino soldiers stationed in Ayungin Shoal off Palawan.

Meanwhile, Senator Imee Marcos underscored the urgency for the Department of Foreign Affairs to demand an explanation from their Chinese counterparts for their “patently illegal” actions against the Filipino boats.

“We must also see to it that our Coast Guard becomes better equipped but relies less on foreign countries that have their own national interests to pursue,” the senator, the President’s sister, said.

Romualdez issued the statement while in Jakarta, Indonesia as head of the Philippine delegation to the 44th AIPA (ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly) General Assembly.

“Our commitment to safeguarding our territorial integrity and ensuring the safety of our citizens remains unwavering. As a nation, we must take proactive measures to enhance our defense capabilities and ensure that we have the necessary resources to effectively protect our sovereign rights,” Romualdez said.

He noted that under the proposed 2024 budget, the allocation for the defense sector is P282.7 billion, or 21.6 percent more compared to the P203.4 billion allocation under the 2023 budget.

“I have read in several news reports that one of the companies involved in the reclamation project in Manila Bay right now is a construction firm from mainland China, the China Construc- tion Company (CCC). And this same construction company, the news reports added, was also involved in the construction of an airbase and naval base of China in the West Philippine Sea,” Tulfo said.

Earlier, Senator Cynthia Villar also warned that six- to eight-meter floods in Las Piñas City and other nearby areas could likely happen if the ongoing reclamation in Manila Bay reaches her hometown.

Villar, the chairperson of the Senate Committee on the Environment and natural resources, has been strongly objecting to any reclamation project at Manila Bay.

“I’m taking them [to the Supreme Court]. If they don’t revise [their plan], we have no choice. Will I allow my hometown to be submerged in a six-foot flood?” she said. and training,” Tulfo said during Monday’s hearing on proposed amendments to the decades-old National Defense Act.

“If they continue with the reclamation in our part of Manila Bay, there will be no outlet for our four rivers. It was predicted there will be six to eight meters of flooding. Six meters is [equivalent to a] three-story building,” Villar added.

“So, they have an allowance from the Chinese government? It must have an allowance – like for billeting, lodging, accommodation,” Tolentino said.

“You will receive a patch if you grad- uate, and you must learn and sing the national anthem of the People’s Republic of China. Alarming indeed... With the tensions in the West Philippine Sea, I don’t think it’s good to send our officers there,” he added.

Defense Senior Undersecretary Irineo Espino said only officers with the rank of lieutenant colonel or higher apply for the yearlong training in China.

The Philippines on Monday summoned Beijing’s envoy to protest the use of water cannons and dangerous maneuvers against Philippine vessels in the West Philippine Sea, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said (see related story on A1 -- Editors).

“Our secretary of Foreign Affairs summoned Ambassador Huang (Xilian) today and gave him a note verbale including pictures (and) video about what happened and we are awaiting their reply,” Mr. Marcos said.

“The position of China, of course, is they say ‘this is ours so we are defending it’ and we, for our part, are saying ‘no, we own it so we are defending it.’ So that becomes a gray area that we are discussing.”

The incident happened Saturday as the Philippine Coast Guard escorted charter boats carrying food, water, fuel, and other supplies for Filipino soldiers stationed at Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal in the Spratly Islands. Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, through which trillions of dollars in trade passes annually. It has ignored a 2016 international court ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.

Marcos gov’t eyes P31-b calamity funds, P17.9b earmarked for NDRRM projects

THE Marcos administration has asked Congress to earmark about P31 billion in calamity funds for 2024.

Meanwhile, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has set aside over half-a-trillion pesos under the proposed P5.768-trillion 2024 National Expenditure Program (NEP) for programs and projects aimed at addressing the impact of climate change.

Under the 2024 NEP, about P17.949 billion of the proposed calamity fund or the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (NDRRMF) would be allotted for aid, relief and rehabilitation services to communities or areas affected by natural and human-induced calamities.

The remaining P13.051 billion would be used for the repair and reconstruction of permanent structures, including other capital expenditures for disaster operation and rehabilitation activities.

The proposed NDRRMF is higher by P11 billion than the P20.5 billion appropriated under the 2023 General Appropriations Act.

The allocation of funds is subject to the approval of the President, taking into consideration the recommendation of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) for local disasters or the appropriate agency for international crises.

In making recommendations, the NDRRMC should consider the donations or grants received by concerned agencies in support of efforts to address calamities.

A separate P7.425 billion worth of Quick Response Fund (QRF) will be appropriated to nine government agencies.