News Roundup 24 August 2022
Aug 24, 2022 • 4 min Read
Hontiveros not recognizing Cayetano as CA minority leader | PHILSTAR.COM – Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano may have emerged as the victor in the apparently heated race to become the powerful Commission on Appointments’ minority leader, his rival for the position, Sen. Risa Hontiveros, is not going down without a fight. Hontiveros told a news conference on Wednesday that she is not recognizing Cayetano’s leadership in the CA, a constitutional body that vets presidential appointments, as he is not a member of the Senate minority bloc. “In all honesty, I cannot say that I recognize him as the CA’s minority leader because it came from something wrong. It started out from something which is non-existent,” she said in Filipino. During the Senate’s opening session in the 19th Congress, Cayetano and his sister, Sen. Pia Cayetano, opted not to vote for Sen. Migz Zubiri as Senate president. Senate tradition would have placed the Cayetanos with the minority bloc, but they also chose not to join this group and instead created an “independent” bloc in the upper chamber. While he is part of the independent bloc in the Senate, Cayetano moved that the CA reclassify him as part of the minority as he was incorrectly included as part of the upper chamber’s majority bloc. “It cannot be that in one moment, for example during the opening session, you’re independent, and then in other times, you’re with the majority, for example in the membership of committees, then in other times, you’re with the minority like in a body like the CA,” Hontiveros said. Hontiveros said she does not consider to be under Alan Peter Cayetano’s leadership in the CA, which she believes is invalid as he is not part of the minority bloc in the Senate. “The person who should have been elected as the CA’s minority leader should come from the Senate minority, the basis of which, as supported by the Supreme Court, are institutional considerations, nothing lower or less,” she said.
SC issues writ of amparo for missing activists | PHILSTAR.COM – The Supreme Court (SC) has given the Department of National Defense (DND), the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) 72 hours to give their comment on the alleged disappearance of two activists last May 3. In a statement, the SC said that in its full court session yesterday, it granted the petition for a writ of amparo or an order of protection filed by the families of activists Elizabeth Magbanua and Alipio Juat, who were reportedly taken by the military in Valenzuela. Magbanua and Juat are members of the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU). Respondents in the petition were AFP Chief of Staff Lt. General Bartolome Vicente Bacarro, DND officer-in-charge Jose Faustino Jr., NICA director general Ricardo de Leon, Army commanding general Lt. Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr.; Army acting chief of staff Maj. Gen. Roy Galido, Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence of the AFP Maj. Gen. Romulo Manuel and Deputy Chief of Staff for Civil Military Operations Brig. Gen. Nolasco Mempin. The SC had referred the petition to the Court of Appeals (CA) for a hearing on Aug. 30. The High Court also instructed the CA to decide on the case within 10 days after receiving it. The petition was filed by Magbanua’s partner Ruth Manglalan and her niece Alyssa Marie, and Juat’s daughter Maureen. The SC also granted their petition for a temporary protection order prohibiting the respondents from getting within a radius of one kilometer of the petitioners and their immediate families.
Coca-Cola Philippines confirms shutdown of certain bottling plants | INQUIRER.NET – Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines Inc. said on Wednesday some of its bottling plants have suspended operations due to the adverse effects of the sugar supply shortage on their production operations. However, the company did not identify which plants were temporarily shut down. “CCBPI confirms that the supply shortage of bottler’s grade sugar has affected the capability of some of our bottling plants to continue producing some products,” the Philippine unit of the beverage giant said, adding that it was doing everything to minimize supply disruption and its impact on their bottling operations. Coca-cola said it was also continuing to work with the government and the sugar industry sector to arrive at a sustainable solution to the problem. “Meantime, we thank those who remain loyal to Coca-Cola products for being patient, as we prepare to once again serve our full line-up of beverages,” the statement said further.
