News Roundup 23 June 2022
Jun 23, 2022 • 5 min Read
Comelec denies Duterte Youth opposition to Guanzon’s substitution of P3PWD nominees | INQUIRER.NET – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has denied the opposition of the Duterte Youth Party-list to a substitution of nominees of P3PWD Party-list, specifically that of former Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon as representative. In filing the formal opposition last week, Duterte Youth Party-list Representative Ducielle Cardema and her husband National Youth Commission chair Ronald Cardema said that substituting P3PWD nominees was an “attempt to circumvent the law and promulgated Comelec rules” as it was done seven months after the November 15 deadline. But the Comelec, in coming out with its ruling, disagreed. “Approval of the Recommendation of the Law Department to Deny the June 17, 2022 Verified Opposition (to the Substitution of P3PWD Party-List Nominees) filed by DUTERTE Youth Party-List,” Comelec acting spokesperson Rex Laudiangco told reporters on Thursday. Laudiangco explained that among the grounds for denying the party-list’s opposition is Comelec Resolution No. 10717, which “provides for the rules prior to the elections and not post-elections.” Laudiangco likewise noted that they accepted the new list of P3PWD nominees “consistent with the 2019 case of Duterte Youth wherein the Commission en banc granted/allowed/gave due course to withdrawals, substitutions and submission of a new list of nominees after elections.” He further pointed out that Sections 8 and 16 of Republic Act No. 7941 “ allows submission of additional nominees when the list of nominees had been exhausted.” To recall, all five original nominees of P3PWD resigned due to personal and health reasons.
Next NICA chief: ‘We have to give focus on West Philippine Sea’ | INQUIRER.NET – National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) director general-designate Ricardo de Leon on Thursday said he wants to “give focus” on the territorial dispute with China in the West Philippine Sea. The country should bolster its presence in the area to assert its sovereignty over the Philippine waters, he said. “We also have to give focus on the West Philippine Sea,” de Leon said over ABS-CBN News Channel. “Any development with our neighbors, especially in that area, will certainly affect domestic security. We have to view everything, integrate, and harmonize our efforts.” He then stressed, “Iyong presence ng ating security force in the West Philippine Sea, kailangan ma-strengthen natin ‘yan, so that we can also guarantee the safety of our fishermen.” (We need to strengthen our security forces in the West Philippine Sea so that we can guarantee the safety of our fishermen.) With this in mind, the incoming NICA chief said he appreciates that the issue is among the priorities of President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
Authorities told: If there will be leniency in law enforcement, let it be afforded to the poor | PHILSTAR.COM – Respect for constitutional rights including due process must be for all, regardless of wealth or political leanings, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines reminded authorities on Thursday. But when leniency is to be dispensed in enforcing the law, “let it be for the poor and the downtrodden, not to entitled individuals,” the IBP Board of Governors added in a statement. The IBP raised alarm on the arrest of journalists covering protest actions of farmers and artists in Concepcion, Tarlac. This was after Police Lt. Gen. Vicente Danao Jr., Philippine National Police officer-in-charge, accused journalists of agitating activists groups and later filing complaints against them and the persons they were covering. “Why are you with those militants? What is your purpose there? That’s my question for you… In the first place, if you went there, you’re already with those people,” he said then. The national organization of lawyers noted that ascribing affiliation due to presence of journalists in events of public interest is questionable. “Journalists should not have to run the risk of arrest and criminal charges when they are discharging the constitutionally-protected duties of covering and reporting on matters of public consequences, such as land reform disputes,” it added. The IBP also stressed that while zeal in law enforcement is welcome, it should be applied equally. Leniency in enforcement, meanwhile, when dispensed must lean towards the poor and not “to entitled individuals with a documented history for reckless imprudence.” “Lately, we see more compassion for the latter, rather than the former,” they added. While the IBP did not name names, an SUV driver who hit, ran over a security guard, and sped away has been in hot water after he failed to appear despite summons from authorities. When he surfaced, he was given a press conference at the Philippine National Police headquarters where he apologized and where his mother attested he is a good person. Jose Antonio Sanvicente was allowed to go home after facing the press as no warrant had been issued then. He is now undergoing preliminary investigation at the Mandaluyong prosecutor’s office weeks after the incident. In stark contrast, the more than 90 farmers and their supporters, together with 11 journalists arrested in Tarlac, were seen being manhandled and pulled away by police in videos posted by peasant groups. This was despite the farmers were merely doing “bungkalan” which is a form of protest which involves the collective tilling of the land. Groups condemned the “baseless mass arrest” of the farmers, as farmers with local group Makisama-Tinang which represents agrarian reform beneficiaries also asserted that a Certificate of Land Ownership Award title for the 200-hectare disputed land has already been awarded to 236 CARP beneficiaries since 1995 but claimed that the latter was hidden from them.
