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Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio  INQUIRER PHOTO/LYN RILLON MANILA, Philippines—National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. on Tuesday told Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio that foreign policy does not fall under Supreme Court’s jurisdiction. “The exercise of foreign policy is not through the Supreme Court. It’s not through the Supreme Court,” Esperon said during the government’s Post-Sona press briefing. “I think the honorable justice is a member of the Supreme Court, not of the executive branch that pursues foreign policy,” he added. Esperon issued the statement after Carpio, a vocal advocate of the Philippines’ maritime claims, refuted President Rodrigo Duterte when he said that China is “in possession” of the West Philippine Sea. The Duterte administration has been criticized for shelving the Philippines’ arbitral victory against China’s expansive nine-dash-line claim to the South China Sea in 2016, in exchange for warmer ...

Photo from Mindation The proposal to revive capital punishment in the Philippines has the support of many politicians and government agencies. Given the state of safety in Philippine society and the prominence of illegal drugs, the death penalty is being freshly reviewed as a means to deter heinous or grave crimes. According to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), the measure will make a positive impact on Philippine society by serving as a strong deterrent for illegal drug traders, users, and pushers. “Foreign and local drug offenders, especially drug protectors and coddlers who were found guilty of manufacturing, trafficking, and pushing of dangerous drugs, warrant the capital punishment,” PDEA Director General Aaron N. Aquino said in a statement on Wednesday. According to Aquino, laws should be uncompromising and tough in order for peace to be kept. “Death penalty, not life imprisonment, must be imposed on all international and local drug traffickers to...

Photo from pilipinomirror.com Pinagpapaliwanag na ng Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) ang Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) hinggil sa aberyang idinulot ng ahensya sa transport network vehicle service (TNVS). Nagresulta kasi sa samu’t saring reklamo ng TNVS ang pagkakaudlot sa pagbigay ng mga permit ng TNVS community, sa kabila ng mga naunang kautusan ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte na simplehan at pabilisin ang mga transaksyon, partikular sa pagbibigay ng mga permit sa mamamayan. Binigyan lamang ng tatlong araw ng ARTA ang LTFRB para sagutin ang pagkakaantala ng pagbibigay ng permit to operate ng TNVS. Pinasalamatan naman ng mga commuter at transport groups ang ARTA sa pagpasok nito sa naturang usapin. Source and Original Article from: >>>  radyopilipinas.ph

“PCSO has not declared and remitted dividends to the national government for dividend years 1994 to 2016 in the total amount of P8.426 billion, contrary to the provision under Section 3 of Republic Act 7656,” the COA’s 2018 annual audit report on the PCSO read.  (Photo from PhilStar) MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Audit (COA) has called out the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) over its continued refusal to remit to the national treasury 50 percent of annual earnings as required by law, noting that the state gaming firm’s unremitted earnings or dividends stand at P8.426 billion as of 2016. “PCSO has not declared and remitted dividends to the national government for dividend years 1994 to 2016 in the total amount of P8.426 billion, contrary to the provision under Section 3 of Republic Act 7656,” the COA’s 2018 annual audit report on the PCSO read. Under Section 3 of RA 7656 or the Dividend Law, “all government-owned or controlled corporations (G...

Photo from PhiStar MANILA, Philippines — The national government’s total debt stock declined to P7.869 trillion as of end-June due to the repayment of matured foreign loans as well as foreign exchange fluctuations, according to the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr). According to the latest data from the Treasury, the government’s outstanding debt as of end-June dropped by 0.6 percent, or P48.89 billion, to P7.869 trillion from the P7.916 trillion recorded as of end-May. The BTr attributed the decline to the net repayment of both domestic and foreign loans and foreign exchange fluctuations. Since the beginning of the year, the national government’s debt pile has increased by P576.13 billion, or 7.9 percent, compared to the end-2018 level of P7.293 trillion. BTr data also showed the debt stock was 12.1 percent higher than the P7.016 trillion posted in the same period last year. The government borrows from both domestic and external lenders to plug the expected deficit...

Photo from PhilStar DURING the 2019 State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Rodrigo Duterte, he mentioned the concept of traditional fishing rights (TFRs). What is it? Is respecting the TFRs of foreigners in waters within the reaches of our sovereignty and sovereign rights compatible with the Constitution? And would this non-State-centric concept be a helpful tool in forging a cooperative relationship among the South China Sea (SCS) disputants? TFRs are part of customary international law, invoked by international arbitral and adjudication decisions prior to and after the adoption of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos). In international adjudications, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) decisions in two 1974 fisheries jurisdiction cases (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland v. Iceland and Federal Republic of Germany v. Iceland) are exemplary. In both cases, the ICJ decided that Iceland’s “preferential fishing rights” as a coastal s...

This file photo shows Vice President Leni Robredo visiting the Pamilihang Bayan ng Pandi in Pandi, Bulacan, for a consultation with rice traders, retailers and consumers. (Photo from PhilStar) MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo saw a decline in her net satisfaction rating in the second quarter of 2019, the latest Social Weather Stations survey showed. Results of the poll showed Robredo’s net satisfaction rating was down by 14 points from +42 or “good” in March to +28 or “moderate” in June. This, after 57% of the 1,200 adult respondents said they are satisfied with the performance of the vice president, while 29% said they are dissatisfied. The polling firm said Robredo’s steep decline was mostly due to decreases in Visayas, Mindanao and Balance Luzon. Her net satisfaction rating dipped from “very good” +65 in March to “good” +44 in Visayas, from “good” +33 to “moderate” +15 in Mindanao and “good” +46 to “moderate” +33 in Metro Manila. Her net ...

Photo from PTV News MANILA  — Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar on Tuesday said President Rodrigo Duterte’s fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) would highlight the legacy of the current administration and its path for the next three years. In a television interview, Andanar said President Duterte will likely discuss the government’s efforts to reduce poverty, big-ticket infrastructure projects, and peace and order programs in his fourth SONA. “Number one, poverty alleviation, bringing poverty rate down from 21 to 14 and making the economy upper middle class by the end of his term. Second would be the infrastructure projects,” Andanar said. “And thirdly, there’s the peace and order highlighting the national task force to end local communist armed conflict, because you can never have progress without peace and order. And I think diyan tututok ang Presidente sa tatlong mensahe na iyan (those three topics would be t...

Photo from PhilStar MANILA, Philippines — The government is planning to bolster the country’s fleet of operational train cars by more than five times by the end of the Duterte administration to boost connectivity and enable better and faster services across all rail networks nationwide. Transportation Undersecretary for railways Timothy John Batan said the country’s rolling stock fleet of 221 operational train cars, also known as light rail vehicles or coaches, in 2016 is targeted to grow to more than 1,200 by 2022. “As of today, we have already completed the order for an additional 369 additional train cars, with the 37 train cars of (the Philippine National Railways) starting delivery next month, 108 train cars for (Mass Rail Transit)-7 starting delivery toward the end of this year, 120 train cars for (Light Rail Transit)-1 starting delivery in the middle of 2020 and the 104 train cars for PNR Clark Phase 1 starting delivery in the fourth quarter of 2021,” Batan sai...

Photo from GNBC.news Sinibak na ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte ang lahat ng empleyado sa administrative section ng Bureau of Customs (BOC). Sa kanyang talumpati sa Araw ng Pasasalamat para sa mga OFW kahapon, inamin niya ang pagsibak sa mga ito pero hindi rito kasama si Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero. Ipinag-utos niya ang mga sinibak na tauhan na mag-report sa kanya sa Malacañan. Ipaglilinis din ng Pangulo ang mga sinibak na BOC employees sa Pasig River, malapit sa Malacañan. FULL STORY HERE RMN Mga empleyado sa administrative section ng BOC, sinibak Source: GNBC.news

Photo from PNA SAN FRANCISCO , California – Her tears were not a mark of weakness but of overwhelming grief, disappointment, and love. Christine Banugan, chief of Mandaya tribe in Caraga, Davao Oriental, was not able to hold her emotions when a young Filipino American (Fil-Am) stood up and chanted in US accent “Stop spreading lies” during a forum of Filipinos with eight indigenous peoples (IP) leaders at the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco on July 10. “I am a victim of communist terrorists.  Hindi   ninyo naranasan ang mamatayan ng ama dahil pinatay ng  NPA,  ng komunista ! (I am a victim of communist terrorists. You did not experience having a father murdered by the New People’s Army),” an emotional Banugan said. The female Fil-Am "intruder" was no longer around, though, to listen to Banugan's emotional outbursts as she and a few companions were immediately guided out of the forum venue. Banugan, who is Mandaya tribe chieftain in Cara...

Photo from GNBC.news SINGAPORE — Rappler reports against the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) are misleading and slanted. I was the first to defend Rappler when the president publicly denounced its sale of Philippine depositary receipts (PDRs) to Omidyar Network (ON) in 2015. PDRs are financial instruments used to comply with our Constitution’s ban on foreign control of media. Last week, I explained why the SEC had basis to sanction Rappler. Beyond this, we must fact-check how Rappler publicly argues its case. First, Rappler misleadingly implies the SEC approved its PDRs. It restated: “PDRs were disclosed to the SEC in 2015 in compliance with the SEC’s regulations” (“FAQs: Rappler’s SEC case,” 1/22/18). This is deceptive if you understand securities law’s central rule: offers and sales of securities must be registered unless exempt from registration. ABS-CBN and GMA register their PDRs before offering them to thousands of investors. In contrast, t...