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Showing posts with label Top stories - Google News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Top stories - Google News. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 6, 2019
Tuesday, November 5, 2019
Panelo denies drug czar post 'non-existent' - ABS-CBN News
MANILA — The appointment of Vice President Leni Robredo as co-chair of a government committee against illegal drugs is a "golden opportunity" that she should seize, President Rodrigo Duterte's spokesperson said Wednesday, as he denied her camp's claim that the position is non-existent.
Robredo spokesperson Barry Gutierrez earlier said the Vice President will have no real powers as co-chair of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD), based on the executive order that created the panel.
Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo, however, accused the Robredo camp of "hewing and dodging, giving all sorts of excuses and demands."
He added it is unnecessary to amend the executive order that created ICAD because the President, "as the sole repository of executive power, has the exclusive and awesome prerogative of control over all offices and officials in the Executive Branch."
In appointing Robredo as drug czar, the President "is simply being open to suggestions from a critic of the drug war" because he "believes that there is no better person who can implement such suggestions than the person making them," Panelo said.
"We do not believe that the Vice President is incapable of rising up to the challenge and doing justice to the trust reposed upon her by Filipino people, unless of course she proves us wrong by declining the appointment," the Palace official said in a statement.
"The Vice-President is welcome to the Cabinet. It is a golden opportunity worth taking. This is her moment. She should seize it. Destiny beckons. History awaits her," he added.
Using her new post, Robredo "can well contribute" particularly on the "rehabilitation and reintegration" of drug users, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency chief Aaron Aquino said Tuesday.
Robredo last month called on Duterte to allow the United Nations to investigate his war on drugs which she said was “obviously, not working,” prompting Malacanang's challenge for her to lead the drug war.
Some 6,000 drug suspects have been killed in police operations since Duterte assumed office in 2016, but rights groups say the numbers were much higher.
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Japan seeks to keep India in China-backed RCEP | Bloomberg News - Business Mirror
India’s exit from RCEP regional trade talks appeared to leave China and Japan at odds over whether to press ahead with the remaining members, or to try to find a work-around that includes Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.
India announced on Monday it was withdrawing from the China-backed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, citing the deal’s potential impact on the livelihoods of its most vulnerable citizens. China said that the 15 remaining countries decided to move forward first and India is welcome to join RCEP whenever it’s ready.
Japanese Trade Minister Hiroshi Kajiyama said on Tuesday that Tokyo would work toward a deal including India. This would keep the world’s largest democracy within the RCEP framework and be in line with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s policy of bolstering ties with India in order to balance Beijing’s growing power.
“Our country wants to play a leading role toward reaching an early agreement between all 16 countries, including India, with the aim of signing it in 2020,” Kajiyama, who wasn’t present at the latest negotiations in Bangkok, told reporters in Tokyo.
India’s exit from negotiations coincided with the most recent meeting of officials from the so-called Quad: Japan, Australia, the US and India, a security focused grouping seen as a counter to China that has drawn Beijing’s ire. The group was upgraded to ministerial level in September.
China has sought to accelerate the RCEP deal as it faces slowing growth from a trade war with the US. An agreement would further integrate Asia’s economies with China just as President Donald J. Trump’s administration urges nations in the region to shun Chinese infrastructure loans and 5G telecommunications technology.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said India still had problems with RCEP but all those in the process “will work together to solve these problems in a mutually satisfying way,” according to a Monday statement from the ministry.
Modi decided not to join the deal in order to protect service workers and farmers, an official told reporters in New Delhi on Monday. India had pushed the other 15 nations to address its concern over deficits and open their markets to Indian services and investments, the official said.
RCEP countries are likely to move forward without India, in part because a pact could be concluded more easily and quickly that way, said Juan Sebastian Cortes-Sanchez, a senior trade policy analyst at the Singapore-based Asian Trade Centre research institute. Waiting for Modi’s administration to change its mind could even give his negotiators the ability to “leverage the urgency” to make more demands on other countries eager to conclude the regional trade pact, he said.
“They’re open to dialogue and the possibility of letting India in,” he said, adding there’s a constant uncertainty that Modi’s government is “just never going to commit.”
In the run-up to Association of Southeast Asian Nations meetings in Bangkok, where Asian leaders had hoped to announce an RCEP breakthrough, New Delhi had made last-minute demands amid domestic opposition over worries it would be flooded by cheap goods from China.
“There won’t be any problem for the 15 nations to sign RCEP next year,” Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng told reporters in Bangkok on Monday. “We are taking an open attitude—whenever India is ready, it’s welcome to get onboard.”
RCEP countries said in a joint statement on Monday that all participating countries would work to solve outstanding problems “in a mutually satisfactory way.”
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Monday, November 4, 2019
Duterte lauds role of Asian major economies in ASEAN dev't - ABS-CBN News
NONTHABURI, Thailand—President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday welcomed the efforts made by China, Japan and South Korea in supporting the development goals of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and spelled out areas of future cooperation.
During the 22nd ASEAN Plus Three Summit, the President recognized China’s involvement in the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines-East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA), an initiative aimed at jump-starting socio-economic development in the least developed and most remote border areas of the region, including Mindanao in the Philippines, according to a Palace statement.
Japan’s continued support for the ASEAN’s push for greater connectivity through the Expanded Partnership of Quality Infrastructure is a major boost to the regional bloc, he said.
Japan, with its technology, expertise and long tradition of excellence, is helping build state-of-the-art infrastructure networks in the region, including the Philippines, with its first subway system.
The Philippine leader also recognized South Korea’s leading position in the innovation of smart city development.
“We thus laud this recent project of sharing best practices in this area, through the ASEAN Smart Cities Network initiated by Singapore in 2018,” he said.
Over the last 2 decades, the APT Cooperation produced 65 mechanisms covering many areas of engagement.
Enhanced connectivity is seen as a key to sustaining growth and harnessing the benefits of the unfolding Fourth Industrial Revolution.
For this reason, the President said the Philippines welcomes the continued support of China, Japan and South Korea for the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025. He endorsed the APT Leaders’ Statement on Connecting the Connectivities.
Aside from infrastructure connectivity, the regional grouping also put emphasis on strengthening people-to-people connections, viewing the ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangement as an important step towards this end, as well as the achievement of ASEAN Integration on Trade in Services.
Duterte also called for the harmonization of standards on nurses and other health care professionals to improve health care services in the region.
He also expressed elation over the substantive progress of the implementation of the APT Work Plan 2018-2022 and the East ASEAN Vision Group and its recommendations.
In a climate of rising protectionism, he said the upward trajectory of the region’s trade and investment ties is encouraging, urging his fellow leaders to stay the course and accelerate economic integration.
“Our growth relies on a well-functioning trading system that allows the unhindered flow of trade and investments,” he stressed. “Hence, the Philippines looks forward to the conclusion of the negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership [RCEP] soon.”
In order to sustain the strong cooperation between ASEAN and its partners, Duterte called for a renewed commitment to the APT as a driving force in the pursuit for greater peace, progress and prosperity in East Asia.
During the summit, the President also thanked and congratulated the Kingdom of Thailand for its strong and productive chairmanship of ASEAN as it passes the baton to Vietnam for next year’s hosting.
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DOLE field officer shot dead in Manila - Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – An employee of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Manila field office was shot dead on Monday afternoon, November 4, in Malate.
DOLE labor officer Ellen Dacanay and a companion were driving along Malvar Street when their vehicle was shot at by two unidentified suspects on board a motorcycle.
Dacanay was rushed to a nearby hospital, but was declared dead on arrival. Dacanay's companion was unharmed, according to reports.
Police are investigating the incident.
In a statement on Monday night, Labor Secretary Secretary Silvestre Bello III condemned the killing of Dacanay and urged the police to "act immediately" to arrest those responsible for the crime.
"I condemn in the strongest terms the dastardly killing of labor officer Ellen Dacanay assigned at the Manila field office of the Department. It is disturbing that a civilian official was murdered in a cowardly manner akin to executions by hired guns," Bello said.
The labor secretary added DOLE would extend "all necessary assistance" to Dacanay's family to "serve the ends of justice." – Rappler.com
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Sunday, November 3, 2019
Today's Front Page November 04, 2019 - The Manila Times
Magnitude 4.5 quake shakes Cotabato – Phivolcs
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake hit Cotabato province on Saturday morning, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said. The earthquake, tectonic in origin, struck...
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Sans Trump, Asean charts path for China-led trade bloc - INQUIRER.net
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, fifth from left, shake hands with ASEAN leaders, from left, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Thailand Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen, Indonesia President Joko Widodo, and Laos Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith during ASEAN-China summit in Nonthaburi, Thailand, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2019. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)
NONTHABURI, Thailand — Leaders from fast-growing Southeast Asian economies, China, Japan and other regional powers are aiming for a breakthrough on a free trade deal and an outline for handling territorial disputes in the South China Sea at an annual summit that opened near Bangkok on Sunday.
Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha addressed the gathering of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) by saying the group intended to reach a basic agreement on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, a 16-member trade bloc encompassing nearly a third of all global trade.
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Code of conduct
Prayuth said the aim was to have a final deal by next year.
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Asean also hopes to set a code of conduct with China regarding disputed waters in the South China Sea, he said.
US President Donald Trump skipped the Asean summit and related meetings this year, opting to send his national security adviser, Robert O’Brien, instead.
Last year, Trump sent Vice President Mike Pence. This year both are busy campaigning back home.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang told other leaders attending that Beijing was committed to 10-nation Asean’s central role in the region.
“Given the complexity in the international and regional situation, our cooperation is built on a stable structure and moving forward in a positive fashion,” Li said. “This is beneficial to the region and all parties involved.”
“We support stability in the region and by doing so we have been able to cope with the instability elsewhere in the world,” Li said.
On the long-troublesome issue of the South China Sea, Li welcomed progress in efforts by China and Asean to negotiate a regional “code of conduct,” which aims to tame aggressive actions that could set off armed confrontations in one of the world’s most disputed regions.
‘Important landmark’
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After being accused of delaying the start of talks for years while building artificial islands with military outposts on contested reefs, China agreed to commence negotiations and both sides announced that the first of three expected rounds was concluded in July.
Li called that progress “a very important landmark” for regional stability. He said China was committed to making headway in the negotiations with Asean members, four of which—Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam—are locked in the territorial disputes.
But the talks are highly contentious and many doubt China is ready to sign a code that many governments, including the United States, hope will be legally binding and potent enough to restrain provocative actions in a busy waterway crucial to global commerce.
On the issue of trade, Asean officials plan to present to the leaders a report on regional trade deal negotiations.
A draft of that report seen by The Associated Press says talks should be finalized by February 2020 and endorsed by leaders of member countries at next year’s summit, which is due to take place in Vietnam.
Asean groups together Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Together, they comprise a fast-growing regional market of nearly 650 million people.
The proposed trade bloc aims to dismantle trade barriers and set standards for trade between Asean and six other nations: China, Japan, India, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea.
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Duterte in ASEAN: South China Sea issue must be resolved peacefully in accordance with UNCLOS - UNTV News | UNTV - UNTV News
Malacañang has confirmed that President Rodrigo Duterte joined his fellow heads of state and government of the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in their plenary session in the evening of November 2.
A statement released by Malacanang on Sunday reads that President Duterte talked about the challenges that face ASEAN, such as, transnational crimes, advances in technology, protectionism and trade-related tension among ASEAN partners, environmental sustainability and geopolitical transformation.
The Palace said that the President thereafter shared his insights in addressing said challenges.
In elaborating geopolitical transformation, the Chief Executive made mention of the issue of the South China Sea “which he considers as one that is of strategic importance to ASEAN”, stressing his firm stance that it “must be resolved peacefully in accordance with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).”
The President further mentioned that maintaining freedom of navigation and overflight above the South China Sea is a priority of ASEAN.
With its role as ASEAN-China Country Coordinator, the Philippines “vowed to do its utmost best to conclude the negotiations on the Code of Conduct — one that is effective and substantive — at the soonest possible time.”
The President also discussed the changing landscape of the Southeast Asian region “which recognizes the rise of the dragon (China) in a world still dominated by a soaring eagle (United States).”
The statement also confirmed that the Chief Executive called on ASEAN leaders not to choose — or be forced to choose — sides by pointing out what he calls a “strategic mistake” committed by the Philippines’ past leaderships, which he is now rectifying through his independent foreign policy.
The Palace further said that, for the remainder of this year’s ASEAN Summit, the President will likely continue elaborating and discussing the Philippines’ position in relation to important matters that are beneficial not just to the Filipino people but to the citizens of ASEAN member countries. (with details from Rosalie Coz) /mbmf
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House seen to okay 2019 GAA extension, polls resetting | Jovee Marie de la Cruz - Business Mirror
THE leadership of the House of Representatives is eyeing to approve today (Monday) the joint resolution extending the availability of the 2019 General Appropriations Act and the bill postponing the May 2020 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.
Majority Leader Martin Romualdez said these two measures are already included in the calendar of business for third and final reading on Monday.
House Joint Resolution 19 seeks to extend the availability of the 2019 appropriations for maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) and capital outlays (CO) to December 31, 2020.
The resolution amends Section 65 of the General Appropriations Act of Fiscal Year 2019, which provides that all appropriations shall be available for release and obligation until December 31, 2019.
House Committee on Appropriations Senior Vice Chairman Joey Salceda of Albay said the 2019 national budget has to be extended owing to several factors, including the delayed approval of the budget in April 2019, onset of the election ban for the May 2019 elections and the restrictions imposed by cash-based budgeting.
According to Salceda, the budget delay resulted in a five-month implementation gap for projects.
Poll postponement
Moreover, House Bill 493 seeks to postpone the 2020 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections from May 2020 to May 8, 2023. If approved, this will be the third time the barangay and SK elections will be postponed under the Duterte administration. The elections had been previously set in October 2016, but postponed to October 2017 and then to May 2018.
During his Fourth State of the Nation Address (Sona) in July, President Duterte urged lawmakers to pass a bill postponing the May 2020 barangay and SK polls to give elected officials time to complete their programs and projects.
Romualdez said the lower chamber will also work double time to approve in the plenary the pending joint resolution that authorizes the use of the rice subsidy as provided in the P3.757-trillion national budget of 2019 for the purchase of palay (unhusked rice) from farmers.
House Commitee on Agriculture and Food Chairman Wilfrido Mark Enverga said the unnumbered joint resolution will be transmitted to the plenary when session resumes on November 4. Enverga also said his committee will ask President Duterte to certify the joint resolution as urgent.
The joint resolution urged the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of National Defense, Department of Transportation, and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, in coordination with the National Food Authority and the Department of Agriculture, to directly buy back palay of the local farmers for the Rice Subsidy Program instead of cash.
Other priorities
Meanwhile, Romualdez said other economic bills that needed swift action from the House include the real property valuation reform bill, amendments to the Public Service Act amendment, a measure raising the Motor Vehicle Road User’s Tax, as well as the proposals to create a Department of Water, Department of Filipino Overseas (DFO) and Department of Disaster Resilience (DDR).
House Committee on Government Reorganization Chairman Mario Vittorio Mariño, sponsor of Package 3 of the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program (CTRP), or HB 4664 or real property valuation reform bill, said the proposal will institute reforms in the country’s real-property valuation.
Currently, the bill is pending for second-reading approval.
“The reform will broaden the tax base for local and national property and property-related taxes, and expedite valuation-based government activities, such as right-of-way acquisition and administration of land transfer taxes. This will neither impose new taxes nor current tax rates since the local government units (LGUs) will continue to set, adjust, and regulate tax rates and assessment levels,” Mariño said.
Pending approval of the measure amending the Public Service Act (PSA), the head of the Economic Affairs Committee, Rep. Sharon Garin, has assured the public that safeguards are well in place under the measure, which seeks to allow new players to invest in the Philippines.
Garin also dispelled fears posed by the expected influx of foreign investors.
HB 78 aims to amend the antiquated PSA by providing a clear distinction between public service and public utility. Under the bill, public utilities will only cover the following: distribution of electricity; transmission of electricity; water pipeline distribution system; and sewerage pipeline system.
HB 78 is currently under the period of sponsorship and debate. As the main sponsor of the measure, Garin said she will continue to defend the bill when sessions resume on November 4.
Meanwhile, Ways and Means Panel Chairman Salceda said the proposal increasing the Motor Vehicle Road Users’ Tax (MVRUT) could provide P89.36 billion in additional government revenues in five years.
Salceda said his HB 4695 is expected to yield additional government revenues of P8.12 billion in 2020, P9.62 billion in 2021, P10.57 billion in 2022, P28.44 billion in 2023 and P32.61 billion in 2024. These will directly go to the Universal Health Care (UHC) and the Public Utility Vehicle (PUV) Modernization Program.
According to Salceda, the existing MVUC rates have not been adjusted since 2004. The bill is pending before the ways and means committee.
On the creation of new offices, Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano said House will focus on the passage of the Department of Water, DFO and DDR.
Cayetano said the target is to approve the bills creating these agencies before the year ends.
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Saturday, November 2, 2019
ASEAN leaders hanker for trade deal as economy sags on US-China spat - Rappler
2019 ASEAN SUMMIT. Association of Southeast Asian Nations leaders link hands with FIFA President Gianni Infantino (L) and ASEAN Secretary General Lim Jock Hoi (R) following a signing ceremony during the organisation's 35th ASEAN summit in Bangkok on November 2, 2019. AFP photo
BANGKOK, Thailand – Southeast Asian leaders met Saturday, November 2, in Thailand eyeing a breakthrough in talks over the world's largest trade deal to help throw off the torpor which has gripped the global economy since the start of the US-China tariff war.
The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) opened their annual summit in Bangkok hoping to secure a China-backed free trade pact knitting together half of the world's population and around 40 percent of its commerce.
The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) – a deal spanning India to New Zealand and wrangled over for several years – is now seen as an urgent counterpoint to US protectionism.
Washington's trade rumble with Beijing has weighed on markets, with the IMF warning the spat could cut global growth to the lowest pace in more than a decade.
Meanwhile President Donald Trump's protectionist rhetoric has spooked some ASEAN nations who fear their economies could fall under his crosshairs.
Trump has repeatedly warned of further intervention to protect American business and several Asian nations are waiting to find out if the US will put them on a watch list of "currency manipulators".
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad warned the regional bloc could hit back against any punitive trade measures, skirting over specifics.
"We will do exactly what Trump does," he told a business forum ahead of the summit opening, calling the US leader "not a very nice man".
"If you go alone, you will be bullied. We don't want to go into trade war but sometimes when they do things that are not nice to us, we have to be unnice to them," he added.
Earlier his Thai counterpart, Prayut Chan-O-Cha, echoed the theme of regional cooperation on the RCEP deal, while Philippines' trade secretary Ramon Lopez said he hoped to have a "very positive report (on RCEP) come Monday" when the summit ends.
Tensions at sea
India, whose Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also in Thailand, is the greatest obstacle to RCEP in its current form.
New Delhi fears opening key industries such as metals, textiles and dairy to cheaper Chinese importers.
Indian intransigence has cast the deal – looping in the 10 Southeast Asian economies along with Japan, India, China, New Zealand and Australia – into doubt.
"We want them (India) to be in. We want to have them... they are a big economy," Lopez told reporters.
Chinese premier Li Keqiang will attend the 3-day meet, where simmering tensions in the South China Sea will also lead the agenda.
China supports RCEP, a deal seen as a way for Beijing to assert its trade dominance in its Asian backyard after the US pullout of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in 2017.
The ASEAN summit follows a push by Washington and Beijing for a partial agreement to squash some of tit-for-tat tariffs on billions of dollars worth of goods that have rattled both economies.
But Washington has pared back its delegation to Bangkok this year.
In what is being read by some as a snub to ASEAN, the US is sending national security advisor Robert O'Brien and commerce chief Wilbur Ross.
US Vice President Mike Pence attended last year's ASEAN summit in Singapore, and President Donald Trump was at the 2017 meeting in the Philippines.
A senior White House official refuted claims of a snub to the Southeast Asian bloc.
Both Trump and Vice President Mike Pence are unavailable because they will be "very engaged in campaigning" for a string of governors' races, the official told reporters.
Trump instead trusts O'Brien "to go out and take care of big problems and small problems", the official added. – Rappler.com
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Officials: Death toll in October quakes in Mindanao now up to 22 - ABS-CBN News
MANILA—At least 22 people have died from a series of earthquakes that struck Mindanao since Oct. 16, disaster-mitigation officials said Saturday.
Cotabato officials said the provincial death toll is at 15, while South Cotabato and Maguindanao each reported 1 dead.
Meanwhile, the number of fatalities in Davao del Sur was at 5.
At least two powerful earthquakes hit the region after the 6.3-magnitude quake on Oct. 16 — a 6.6 tremor and a 6.5 one struck on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively.
As a result, multiple towns were placed under a state of calamity.
Davao del Sur officials said the earthquake left at least P1 billion worth of damage in their province.
—Report from Ron Gagalac, ABS-CBN News
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Palace belies Thai king asked Duterte to 'behave' during ASEAN summit - ABS-CBN News
BANGKOK - Palace officials on Friday belied reports that Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn told President Rodrigo Duterte to "behave" during his visit here for a regional summit.
A viral photo showing a digital copy of the the Bangkok Post frontpage with a headline "King orders PH Duterte, behave during ASEAN Summit" is "fake news," Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said in a press briefing here.
"We asked him (a reporter from Bangkok Post) if there was any truth to the front page and he said outright that it was fake news," Andanar said, while holding a physical copy of the Bangkok Post issue.
The actual newspaper had the same photos and layout, but instead of the alleged story about Duterte, one of its headlines read: "Suvit calls for Thailand to embrace 5G fast, or lag behind rivals."
The digital image, thus, appears to have been edited.
"I would remind everybody to be respectful to His Majesty, the King of Thailand. They have been very generous, very courteous and have been good hosts to us Filipinos and the rest of ASEAN," Andanar said.
"I would also like to remind everyone to be respectful to the good relations between the Philippines and Thailand, and not to create any fake news that would be detrimental to these relations," he said.
Presidential Spokesperson and chief legal counsel Salvador Panelo condemned the fake report and labelled it as "black propaganda" and a "cheap political stunt" against the Philippine President.
"The Office of the President expresses its indignation over this cheap political stunt aimed at embarrassing PRRD (President Rodrigo Roa Duterte), thereby humiliating our country which he represents before the global audience," he said in a statement.
"The political enemies of the President appear to have thrown decency to the garbage bin even as they parade themselves as a rambunctious minority in our country," he said.
Panelo warned that Thailand "has one of the strictest" laws against people who offend the dignity of a reigning sovereign.
Disrespecting the King of Thailand is a criminal offense punishable by imprisonment up to 15 years, Andanar said.
The National Bureau of Investigation has been tasked to trace the source of the fake report, the Communication chief said.
The false report surfaced online hours before Duterte arrived at the Royal Thai Air Force Base and a day before the opening of the 35th ASEAN Summit in the Thai capital.
- report from Vivienne Gulla, ABS-CBN News
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Friday, November 1, 2019
Survivors' cries: When will the earthquakes end? When will our misery stop? - INQUIRER.net
SLICED ROAD Cracks appear on this portion of the national highway in Barangay Batasan, Makilala, Cotabato, after Thursday’s 5.0-magnitude earthquake. —BONG S. SARMIENTO
MAKILALA, COTABATO—“When will this end? When will our misery stop? We are poor. Why are we being punished with this calamity?”
This was the cry of Arthur, 53, who has been out of work in a rubber plantation since Oct. 16, when a 6.3-magnitude quake shook Makilala and other towns in central Mindanao.
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“I work hard. I never beg for food, but now I will, as a last resort in order to survive,” said Arthur, who used to earn P100 a day to feed his family of five. He declined to give his full name for the Inquirer interview.
Arthur and other residents in the hinterland village of Santo Niño evacuated to the town center to escape landslides triggered by the quakes, which also created ground fissures that threatened their houses.
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After Thursday’s 6.5-magnitude temblor, more families in Cotabato and Davao del Sur provinces, already reeling from two earlier quakes, have fled their communities to avoid harm or to find shelter because their homes had been destroyed.
Another temblor
On Friday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology reported a 5.0-magnitude quake southeast of Makilala at 2:07 p.m. It also said another strong quake struck offshore—a 5.5-magnitude 334 kilometers southeast of Sarangani province at midmorning.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported that six people were killed by Thursday’s quake and 10 from the 6.6-magnitude temblor two days earlier.
In all, 21 people have been killed by the three major quakes centered near Tulunan, Cotabato. The NDRRMC said 403 people had been injured in the last two quakes.
Cotabato Provincial Board Member Jumar Cerebo, spokesperson for the crisis management committee, told the Inquirer that the board had enforced the total evacuation of nearly 2,000 families from high-risk villages in Makilala, especially Bato, Malungon, Malarian and Buhay, since Thursday night.
Cezario Joel Espejo, regional director of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, said close to 28,000 families had been displaced in central Mindanao, many from the towns of Makilala, M’lang and Tulunan, and from Kidapawan City.
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State of panic
“I am trembling as every now and then the ground is shaking. I can’t understand my feeling now. I am in a state of panic,” said Susan, 29, from Barangay Batasan.
“Children are crying, all of us are crying. We are traumatized by what happened and still happening,” she said.
She hoped that her family would be given psychological help, “otherwise, we might all go crazy.”
Estring, a 33-year-old mother of eight, was anxious about what the future holds for her family.
“Where are we going? What comes next? I don’t know what to do. Every now and then the ground shakes,” she said.
No cemetery visit
Concerned with urgent survival needs, Arthur, Susan and Estring were not keen on visiting the graves of loved ones on All Saints’ Day on Friday.
“What keeps me busy now is food and our safety,” Estring said.
The same somber mood prevailed in the quake-hit cities of Davao, Digos and Kidapawan where normally crowded cemeteries during the Day of the Dead were unusually peaceful and quiet this time as people preferred to stay at home or in makeshift shelters.
NEAR EMPTY, QUIET It was an unusually quiet scene at this cemetery in Digos City on All Saints’ Day when Filipino families normally flock by the tens of thousands to gravesites to pay their respects to departed loved ones. The recent deadly quakes and terrifying jolts from aftershocks in central Mindanao are discouraging people from leaving their homes or shelters. —ELDIE S. AGUIRRE
In Digos City, Mayor Josef Cagas banned overnight vigils in all cemeteries, allowing only visits up to 9:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Cagas, whose city was heavily devastated by the three quakes, said he did not want people to take chances with aftershocks.
Tents on vacant lots
Close to 500 families in the city have left their homes and moved to evacuation sites or pitched tents on vacant lots.
About 150 families lost their homes in Barangays Kapatagan and Balabag.
Commercial establishments have been closed pending full assessment of their structural integrity.
In Kidapawan, residents have been lining up for potable water since Thursday night after the spring sources of the water district were damaged. The Red Cross is helping provide water.
Mt. Apo plants
The fresh landslides triggered by Thursday’s temblor in communities at the foot of Mt. Apo have prompted local governments in Santa Cruz, Bansalan and Digos—gateways to the country’s highest peak—to temporarily close the mountain to climbers.
Energy Development Corp. said 100 workers at its two geothermal plants at the hinterland village of Ilomavis in Kidapawan were safe despite the landslides, said Romy Kee, plant facility head.
Kee said the company’s power plants at the foot of Mt. Apo “were initially affected and were put on turning gear operation only” as a result of the temblor.
Although the facilities required immediate structural assessment, Kee said they were prioritizing the safety of employees, their families and the community.
In Davao City, President Duterte lamented that he had to leave later on Friday for Bangkok, Thailand, to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit amid the disaster. (See story on Page A2)
“I do not want disasters to happen when I am not around. Not, not just for anything. Just to be here and do what you can do for your countrymen,” he said.
Building inspection
He earlier ordered local governments to inspect all buildings for structural soundness, noting that earthquakes were striking successively.
“They should start it now. The earthquake season has come. I don’t know if it will occur again between now and tomorrow,” Mr. Duterte said.
He said he was sleeping soundly in his Davao City home on Thursday when he was nudged awake at past 9 a.m.—not by the temblor but by two of his female security escorts from the Presidential Security Group.
“They are nurses and also serve as my security,” Mr. Duterte said. “Two of them woke me up. I said, ‘Why?’ ‘Sir, there’s an earthquake.’ I said, ‘It’s just an earthquake.’ They had to sit down when it got stronger.”
He said they wanted him to get out of his house for his safety.
“I said, ‘We’re all in the same boat here. There’s no cover. Just pray, it might do some good.’ They wanted me to get up, get out. I said, ‘It’s just an earthquake. It’s nothing.’”
Sen. Bong Go, in a radio interview on Thursday, said Mr. Duterte was in the bathroom when the quake struck. —WITH REPORTS FROM ABNER FRANCISCO, BONG S. SARMIENTO, JEOFFREY MAITEM, KARLOS MANLUPIG, MART SAMBALUD, WILLIAMOR MAGBANUA AND JULIE M. AURELIO
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Minister refuses call to condemn alleged police violence on social workers - South China Morning Post
[unable to retrieve full-text content]Minister refuses call to condemn alleged police violence on social workers South China Morning PostView full coverage on Google News
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IN VIDEOS: Undas 2019 in Manila and Pampanga - Rappler
The cemeteries are full on Friday, November 1, as Filipinos visit and remember their departed loved ones.
Rappler's video production team visited 3 cemeteries – Manila North in Sta Cruz, Manila, Manila South, and Eternal Covenant Memorial Park in Floridablanca, Pampanga.
Manila North Cemetery
Rain or shine, thousands flock to the Manila North Cemetery at Sta. Cruz, Manila.
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Thursday, October 31, 2019
Duterte to Cabinet: Ensure safety of structures and delivery of services to quake-stricken areas - Business Mirror
By Samuel P. Medenilla & Butch Fernandez
President Duterte has ordered all government agencies on Thursday to ensure the safety of structures and continuous delivery of services to quake-stricken areas in Mindanao.
The President’s order came a few minutes after parts of Region 10 and 12 were jolted anew by a 6.5-magnitude earthquake on Thursday morning.
In an interview, Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III disclosed the President sent the directive to all members of the Cabinet to provide the necessary assistance to quake victims.
“Monitor the areas affected by recent multiple earthquakes. Please prepare efforts relevant to you agencies especially, DPWH [Department of Public Works and Highways], DOE [Department of Energy], DICT [Department of Information and Communications Technology] and DepEd [Department of Education],” said Bello reading the SMS from Duterte.
DPWH was tasked to assess whether roads or highways are passable or not, while DepEd will determine if public-school buildings are safe.
The DOE and DICT will ensure there are no power and communications interruptions, respectively, in Mindanao.
This was affirmed by Presidential Spokesman Salvador S. Panelo in a separate statement.
“The President had directed all agencies and responsible local government units to provide the necessary assistance and immediate relief to those affected,” Panelo said.
Labor-related aid
For its part, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) deployed teams in the affected areas to determine the workers who may be displaced by the recent disaster.
“I have sent Undersecretary Ana Dione and Assistant Secretary Benjo Santos Benavidez to proceed to General Santos City and Davao City to lead our regional DOLE officials in the assessment of the situation,” Bello said.
Bello added that they have around P100 million to provide emergency employment and livelihood to qualified beneficiaries.
“This Sunday, I will personally fly to Davao City to see the extent of the damage and its effect on the employment of our kababayans,” Bello said
Bello added that he will be accompanied by Occupational Safety and Health Center Executive Director Noel Binag, who will head the safety assessment of the affected workplaces.
Trade Union Congress of the Philippines Spokesman Alan Tanjusay said they had to receive any damage or casualty report from their members in Mindanao.
Safe and sound
In radio interviews, Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go assured the public that the President is safe after another strong earthquake hit the southern parts of Mindanao on Thursday morning, October 31. Go also said that the President has ordered concerned government agencies to ensure the safety and well-being of residents in affected areas.
Duterte was in his home in Davao City when a 6.5-magnitude earthquake, with Tulunan, North Cotabato as the epicenter, occurred at 9:11 a.m., two days after a 6.6-magnitude earthquake and two weeks after a 6.3-magnitude earthquake hit the same area. Hundreds of aftershocks were also recorded in between the main shocks.
“Kahit noong mga nakaraang lindol, nag-utos ang Pangulo sa lahat ng governmentagencies na ikutin ang lahat ng structures, ang government at school buildings, siguraduhing safe. Ang mga anak ay dapat ilagay sa safe na lugar,” Go said.
“Handa naman po ang gobyerno natin at ang ating DPWH, iniinspeksyon kaagad lahat ng mga gusali na talagang tinamaan,” Go explained. He added that local government units are also ready to provide assistance to affected communities.
As to reports that the continuous earthquakes have damaged many structures, Go said that government agencies should be strict in implementing the relevant laws, particularly the National Building Code, which the senator plans to revisit and propose necessary amendments to ensure safety amid recurring natural disasters, such as earthquakes.
“It is high time na amyendahan ang National Building Code. Matagal na ito, saka andaming nakakalusot. Huwag nang hintayin na may gumuhong gusali. Dapat maging istrikto,” he said.
The National Building Code was promulgated in 1977 when then- President Ferdinand E. Marcos issued Presidential Decree 1096. Go recognizes that there may be a need to amend the law and make it updated with the demands of the 21st century, and with the increase in strength and frequency of natural calamities, such as earthquakes and typhoons.
“The government, through the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council [NDRRMC] and the Office of Civil Defense, is currently on top of the situation,” Panelo added.
Among those affected by the tremor on Thursday was Duterte himself, who was staying at his residence in Davao City.
“The President is safe in his home in Davao and is closely monitoring the developments. The President considers all situations arising from natural disasters that have caused widespread destruction to lives and property a top concern,” Panelo said.
Presidential Security Group (PSG) chief Brig. Gen. Jose Eriel Neimbra said engineers have been deployed to ensure the structural integrity of Duterte’s home, especially after several cracks appeared on its walls in the aftermath of the recent quake.
As of press time, Niembra said Duterte is expected to still push through with his trip to Thailand for the 35th Asean Summit in Thailand from November 1 to 4.
Legislative amendment
In the aftermath of three strong earthquakes, several buildings in Mindanao collapsed or were damaged due to sheer intensity of the tremors.
“A total of 2,704 infrastructures in Regions 9, 10, 11, 12, and BARMM [Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao] were reported damaged due to the incident,” NDRRMC said in its latest advisory.
It said this affected 25,630 people from 59 affected barangays. Of which, eight died, 395 were injured and two are missing.
Communication Secretary Martin M. Andanar cited the extend of the damaged structure in renewing their call for the amendment of the National Building Code.
“It’s high time to revamp and tighten this outdated law as its current framework is very lax. Let us not wait for a disaster to happen before we become strict in granting building permits,” Andanar said.
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Cebu City police director relieved pending NBI probe into Navarro slay - Rappler
ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE. Cebu City Police Director Gemma Cruz Vinluan is placed on administrative leave pending investigation of the brutal killing of Mayor David Navarro of Clarin, Misamis Occidental. Photo by Ryan Macasero/Rappler
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Cebu City Police Director Gemma Cruz Vinluan was placed on administrative leave starting Thursday, October 31, pending the National Bureau of Investigation's probe into the killing of Mayor David Navarro of Clarin, Misamis Occidental.
Central Visayas police chief Brigadier General Valeriano de Leon said in a statement to local media that this was to allow the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to conduct its probe impartially.
Navarro, while in police custody, was shot in broad daylight here on October 25. He was facing charges of physical injury and acts of lasciviousness, which stemmed from an alleged assault incident at a spa in Cebu City.
“The President's instruction to turn over the investigation to the NBI is a welcome development. It will provide a perception of impartial investigation, sparing us of suspicion of possible whitewash,” De Leon said.
The police turned over the investigation to NBI on Wednesday, October 30, after the President said he wanted the police out of the investigation since Navarro was killed while in police custody. (READ: Duterte wants PNP out of probe into Misamis Occidental mayor's death)
Duterte even aired suspicions that the police may have been behind the killing. “What did the PNP (Philippine National Police) do? Maybe they were the ones who killed him. Anyway, it's still being investigated,” he said on October 28.
“Lapses are possible but not intentional,” Vinluan said in a statement on the killing.
Vinluan has been police chief of the premiere city of the Visayas since July. She was designated head of the special investigation task group on Navarro's case before it was turned over to the NBI.
She said she is open to any investigation to "ferret out the truth about the unfortunate incident that killed the mayor."
She said Navarro's associates told police they had been receiving threats even before he figured in an incident at a massage parlor in Cebu City that led to his arrest and the filing of assault charges against him on October 24.
Navarro was among the alleged narco-politicians in the March 2019 list that President Rodrigo Duterte released to the public ahead of the May elections as a way to dissuade voters from reelecting them. At least 27 of 36 bets on the same list won in the polls. (READ: Who was David Navarro, the mayor from Mindanao killed in Cebu City?)
The mayor denied being linked to the drug trade.
Although a definite motive has not been made public by police or NBI, Navarro’s sister Princess, who was with the mayor when he was killed, mentioned in an interview with reporters that Navarro had political rivals in Clarin who could have been behind the killing. – Rappler.com
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THE DAY IN PHOTOS: October 31, 2019 - ABS-CBN News
Rescue workers set up a first aid station as they monitor damage inside Ecoland 4000 Building in Davao City after a 6.5 magnitude earthquake hit the area Thursday morning. Local authorities are currently monitoring impacts of the strong quake that hit Davao and Cotabato. Manman Dejeto, ABS-CBN News
Eva's Hotel in Kidapawan City in near collapse after a 6.5 magnitude earthquake hit the region on Thursday morning. Impacts are currently being monitored after structural damage in several buildings were reported in the region caused by the powerful quake. Photo courtesy of Johnny Tamboong
Motorists pass through the newly rehabilitated Marcos Bridge in Marikina City on Thursday. The reopening of the bridge, led by Public Works and Highways secretary Mark Villar and Marikina Mayor Marcy Teodoro, is expected to ease traffic along Marcos Highway in time for Undas. Jire Carreon, ABS-CBN News
Residents of Katuparan housing project in Vitas, Tondo light candles during a protest opposing their impending relocation on Thursday. Residents alleged the housing project will make way for a cockpit arena under construction inside the Vitas slaughterhouse. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News
President Rodrigo Duterte and Sen. Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go visit the tomb of Duterte's parents at the Roman Catholic Cemetery in Davao City on Thursday before he leaves for the 35th ASEAN Summit in Thailand on Friday. Meanwhile, Duterte was in his home city when a strong earthquake hit, the third powerful tremor to hit the region this month. Photo courtesy of Sen. Bong Go
Parts of the roof of Santo Niño de Cebu Parish in Makilala town, Cotabato, are peeled off after the area was hit by a magnitude-4.2 quake several hours after a strong tremor jolted parts of Mindanao Thursday. The aftershock is the latest in a series of quakes that hit Cotabato and the nearby region, which has left substantial damage to property and at least seven fatalities. Photo from the Diocese of Kidapawan Facebook page
Children in costumes participate in a trick-or-treat in Moriones, Tondo on Thursday. While people in the Big City choose a more Western way to celebrate Halloween, it is more common for people in provinces to practice the folk tradition of “pangangaluwa,” which sees them go house to house and sing songs inspired by All Souls’ Day and All Saints’ Day to solicit gifts. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News
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Duterte to give Robredo a Cabinet Secretary rank as drug czar | - INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte will give a Cabinet Secretary rank to Vice President Leni Robredo should she accept his offer to be the administration’s drug czar, Malacañang said Thursday.
“To dispel all doubts on the sincerity of the Chief Executive’s offer, as well as to put a halt to the discordant pessimism of the opposition, the President renews his offer to the Vice President to become the anti-illegal drugs czar, with all offices, bureaus, agencies or government instrumentalities involved in the enforcement of the law on prohibited drugs placed under her command and supervision with a Cabinet Secretary portfolio, to ensure her effectiveness in combatting the drug menace,” presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a statement.
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Panelo said Duterte is again making the offer after “critics and detractors of this Administration describe the President’s gesture as a trap, arguing that it is impossible for VP Leni to solve the social problem with a limited period of six months and without the support of anti-drug bureaus and agencies.”
“The Office of the President wishes to be categorical – and contrary to the claim of critics and detractors of this Administration, we want VP Leni to succeed, her success being ultimately a triumph of the Filipino people against the dreaded and destructive evil that is destroying the basic fabric of our society,” he said. /kga
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