News Roundup 27 August 2022
Aug 27, 2022 • 5 min Read
PNP denies visits for detained ex-senator De Lima’s birthday | PHILSTAR.COM – The Philippine National Police on Saturday morning denied a host of political personalities access to visit detained former senator Leila de Lima on her birthday. First reported by ABS-CBN News, De Lima’s camp said that only De Lima’s brother Vicente was allowed a visit to the detained ex-senator, a staunch critic of former president Rodrigo Duterte. The rest were denied. Economist and former socioeconomic planning secretary Solita Monsod said in a tweet that the group had sent their request for a visit to the PNP weeks ago and only got clear disapproval verbally when they showed up in person. Among those who were barred from visiting De Lima were:
- Sen. Risa Hontiveros
- Rep. Edcel Lagman (Albay 1st District)
- Julia Abad, former chief of staff of late president Noynoy Aquino
- Antonio Carpio, former Supreme Court justice
- Conchita Carpio-Morales, former Supreme Court jusdtice
- Lawyer Chel Diokno, human rights lawyer and senatorial candidate
- Franklin Drilon, former senator
- Winnie Monsod, former socioeconomic planning secretary
- Lawyer Christian Monsod, Constitution framer
- Mar Roxas, former Interior Secretary and presidential candidate
- Tom Villarin, former Akbayan representative
“It is outrageous! We were on our way to visit Leila de Lima on her birthday when our request made weeks ago was just now verbally disapproved. I and my husband [and] others all barred. Too much! She’s not convicted, not allowed a phone, and now this!” she said. “What is the legal basis for denying Sen. Leila de Lima visitors on her birthday? Why the utter lack of compassion by the PNP? Who gave the orders to bar her visitors?” Bagong Alyansang Makabayan secretary-general Renato Reyes also said in a tweet.
Diesel seen up by P5, gasoline by P1 | PHILSTAR.COM – Pump prices are set to rise again next week amid the uptrend in the international market. An industry oil player said indications point to another week of fuel price hikes, projecting that gasoline prices could go up by at least P1 per liter and diesel could jump by at least P5 per liter. However, these figures are still subject to change since these were based on three-day trading in the international market. Oil companies usually announce their respective price adjustments on Monday, to take effect the next day. On Tuesday, oil firms raised diesel prices by P2.60 per liter, gasoline prices by P0.70 per liter and kerosene by P2.80 per liter. Government data showed year-to-date total adjustments stand at a net increase of P18.15 per liter for gasoline, P31.70 per liter for diesel and P27.10 per liter for kerosene.
4 more sets of human remains found in Samar after boat explosion | INQUIRER.NET – Days after government troops and suspected New People’s Army (NPA) members clashed off Buri Island in Samar, four more sets of human remains — two male, one female, and one whose sex has yet to be determined — were found floating in the waters off the municipalities of Tarangnan and Sto Niño, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said Saturday. A resident reported having found the two male bodies in Barangay (village) Baras, Tarangnan, Samar on Friday. Later that day, a set of human remains was found in Barangay San Vicente, Libacun Daku, in Tarangnan. The sex of the set of human remains has yet to be determined.
Also on Friday, local police reported the discovery of a woman’s corpse in the waters of Barangay Buenavista, in Sto. Niño, Samar. On Thursday, a man’s corpse was found floating near the Islet of Libacun Gute in Tarangnan town. On Tuesday, local fishermen found the wreckage of a motorized boat and the body of a woman off Tarangnan town. The AFP said the found bodies also have injuries possibly caused by an explosion. “Malaking posibilidad na nung magdetonate yung explosive components na dala nung mga suspected NPA terrorist ay upperbody nila ang napuruhan dahil karaniwang pataas ang trajectory ng blast,” Joint Task Force (JTF) Storm spokesperson Cpt Ryan Layug said. (There is a big possibility that after the explosive components being transported by the suspected NPA terrorists, their upper bodies were hit as the usual trajectory of the blast is upwards.) On Friday, Maj Gen Edgado De Leon, commander of the AFP’s Joint Task Force Storm conducted an aerial inspection of the area being covered by the search and retrieval operations. “Hindi po talaga madaling mahanap ang mga cadavers kasi napadpad na ang mga ito sa ibat-ibang lugar dahil sa lakas ng alon,” De Leon said. (It’s not easy to retrieve the cadavers because they went to different places because of the waves.) Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) said that it will take some time to establish the identities of the found bodies as samples collected for DNA testing will need DNA matches from relatives. The bodies, the AFP said, remain unclaimed by their relatives. On Monday, soldiers clashed with a group of suspected NPA members who were aboard a motorized banca near Buri Island in Samar. The boat carrying the suspected NPA members exploded during the firefight, the AFP said. De Leon previously said the AFP is still verifying if Benito Tiamzon and his wife Wilma — who are ranking leaders of the Communist Party of the Philippines and the NPA — were among the passengers of the boat that exploded.
