IN BRIEF

Acorda revives campaign vs. e-sabong

PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr. on Sunday said that he issued a directive to all police commanders to take necessary action and responsibility on the cases of e-sabong operations in the country.

The order was in line with the instruction of Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr..

“In line with the SILG, Atty. Benjamin Abalos Jr.’s instruction to rid of e-sabong in the country, the PNP commits to an honest and aggressive law enforcement operation towards its optimal success,” Acorda said in a statement.

“I am also sending a warning to all the commanders to take immediate action and full responsibility,” he added.

The PNP chief also said that police officers and commanders found guilty with neglect or involvement in e-sabong would be dealt with accordingly. Vince Lopez

Mall voting: An idea whose time has come

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Sunday disclosed it would allow mall voting in next year’s elections.

This as the poll body said mall voting will be held in 10 sites during the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) this October.

Eight of the malls are in Metro Manila and one each in Cebu and Legazpi City, said Comelec chairman George Garcia.. “Ito po ay libreng ipinagkakaloob sa atin ng mall owners o operators… lahat po ng mga pasilidad, kahit mga gamit at mga tao nila, ay interfered with the printing of IDs.

Worse, Tulfo noted that after the PSA got the project from BSP, the contract was passed on to AllCard, Inc.

This was despite the fact that the AllCard had previous problems with various government agencies, including delays in contract implementation. Since the National ID law was passed in 2018, only 36 million physical national ID cards have been printed, re resenting roughly one-third of the government target of 92 million.

“Now, AllCard was delayed anew in the implementation of its contract with the BSP. But delay was not the only problem of All Card as it also committed a huge blunder,” Tulfo said.

According to the senator, the BSP failed to correctly design the QR code for the national ID cards since the design was too small and not enough to store important information.

As a result of this, the BSP may need to destroy millions of cards that have been initially printed to be replaced by a new design.

Tulfo also questioned why the BSP tapped an Australian company to print the P1,000bills. He said this only means that Philippine money is made and imported from Australia. According to Tulfo, he will file a resolution to investigate these issues against the BSP and the AllCard.

Cataroja reenacts his great escape from the NBP maximum security

BUREAU of Corrections (BuCor) officials were given personal insights into the daring escape of a maximum security prisoner whose disappearance was initially misinterpreted as another mysterious killing at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City.

Inmate Michael Angelo Cataroja, who is serving time for violation of the anti-fencing law, reenacted how he slipped through the NBP’s tight security by squeezing himself underneath a garbage truck that was leaving the prison compound last July 7.

The BuCor has released a video of the reenactment. Cataroja, 25, was recaptured at his parents’ home in Brgy. San Isidro, Angono, Rizal last Aug. 17. He was initially reported missing on July 15 and was believed killed, his body believed dumped into a septic tank at the NBP. He underwent inquest proceedings on Aug. 18 and was remanded back to NBP on the same day. because the whole polling place was air-conditioned and secured, while the process was seamless and speedy. Helen Graido, policy consultant of election watchdog Lente, urged the Comelec to move polling areas to the malls’ ground floor, which she said was more accessible for seniors, persons with disability, and the pregnant. She also suggested a wider information drive for voters who will be part of the mall voting’s pilot run.

BuCor chief Gregorio Catapang Jr. has created a board of inquiry to look into Cataroja’s incredible escape.

Department of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla earlier noted that Cataroja, who also has pending charges for car theft, was an expert in motor vehicles and this knowledge helped him leave the NBP maximum security compound without being detected.

Meanwhile, the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights will also look into the Cataroja issue in a public hearing on Tuesday.

The panel chaired by Senator Francis Tolentino held an inquiry last week following the alleged discovery of a mass grave beside a septic tank inside the national penitentiary. The investigation also unraveled a supposed scheme on how drug syndicates smuggle and repack prohibited drugs inside the NBP.

SBMA regains lot from delinquent rm

SUBIC Bay Freeport—The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has repossessed a 1,500-square meter land from a delinquent company in keeping with the agency’s thrust to regain idle areas and lease it to other investors.

“We are repossessing leased areas of companies that do not comply with the agreement between them and the SBMA, and offer these areas to other investors,” said SBMA chairman Jonathan Tan said.

The SBMA took back the lot located at the Boton Area, Argonaut Highway from the Silver Arrow Import and Export Services which allegedly failed to meet some contractual obligations.

AccordingtoTan,SilverArrowfailedtocomplywithitsInvestmentand Development Commitment as provided in Section 7, Article II of the Lease Agreement between the company and the SBMA. Part of the said default is the failure of the company to develop the area with a funding allocation of at least US$1,000,000. Butch Gunio