News Roundup 17 October 2022
Oct 17, 2022 • 4 min Read
Law postponing Barangay, SK polls questioned before Supreme Court | PHILSTAR.COM – Veteran elections lawyer Romulo Macalintal has filed challenged the constitutionality of the law postponing the December 2022 barangay polls before the Supreme Court. On Monday, Macalintal filed a Petition for Certiorari asking the tribunal to declare as unconstitutional Republic Act 11935 or the act that postponed the December 2022 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE). Following President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. signing of the law on October 10, the BSKE will be conducted on the last Monday of October 2023. Subsequent BSKEs will be held every three years. In a brief provided by Macalintal, he said he argued that “the Constitution does not give Congress the power to ‘postpone’ the barangay elections nor to extend the term of office of the barangay officials.” Under RA 11935, all incumbent barangay and sangguniang kabataan officials shall remain in office unless removed or suspended. Macalintal argued that the power to postpone elections rests solely within the jurisdiction of the Commission on Elections after it determined serious cases provided by Section 5 of the Omnibus Election Code. “Thus, by enacting a law postponing a scheduled barangay elections, Congress is in effect executing said provision of the OEC or has overstepped its constitutional boundaries and assumed a function that is reserved to Comelec,” Macalintal added. He also said: “The questioned law gives Congress the power to appoint barangay officials whose term, as provided by RA 11462 will expire on December 31, 2022. What Congress did is to make a ‘legislative appointment’ of these barangay officials when the law allows them to remain in office as ‘hold over officials.’”
Makabayan lawmakers seek probe into PNP’s journalist house visits | PHILSTAR.COM – Lawmakers at the House of Representatives are seeking to conduct an investigation into the unannounced police visits to the residences of journalists and related privacy violations. Reps. France Castro (ACT Teachers Party-list), Arlene Brosas (GABRIELA Women’s Party), and Raoul Manuel (Kabataan Party-list) filed House Resolution 484 on Monday following reports of police visits over the weekend. “These so-called house visits, occurring in the context of other threats and attacks against journalists, have the effect of increasing, without due cause and process, police presence near journalists and produce rife opportunities for surveillance on them,” the resolution read, noting that these further cause a “shadow of unease, if not fear.” Among those who were paid a visit by a police officer was GMA broadcast journalist JP Soriano. He said police in civilian clothes visited him in his house last Saturday in an effort to check-up on the welfare and safety of journalists following the murder of radio commentator Percy Lapid. Police Lt. Col. Dexter Versola, NCRPO spokesperson, on Monday said foregoing wearing their uniform was done to keep things discreet. While the National Union of Journalists welcomed the effort to reach out to journalists to check up on their safety, the group also urged the police to conduct these dialogues through formal channels either through newsrooms or through press corps, press clubs, and other journalists’ organizations. Concern on how journalists’ addresses and information were obtained were also raised, with House Resolution 484 noting that “there is a violation of the right to privacy of the journalists against unauthorized or illegal access to and disclosure and use of their personal information.” “The practice of profiling and granting illegal access to and disclosure and use of the personal information of the people to unauthorized individuals and entities poses fear and threat to their lives and safety,” the bill read.
Diesel prices up by P2.70 starting Oct. 18; gasoline, kerosene to rise, too | INQUIRER.NET – Pump prices of diesel, gasoline and kerosene will increase anew starting Tuesday this week. Local oil firms announced on Monday that they would implement the following price adjustments, with prices of diesel to rise by P2.70 per liter, starting Oct. 18, Tuesday:
Shell (6 a.m.)
Gasoline: +P0.80 per liter
Kerosene: +P2.90 per liter
Diesel: +P2.70 per liter
Cleanfuel (4:01 p.m.)
Gasoline: +P0.80 per liter
Diesel: +P2.70 per liter
Seaoil (6 a.m.)
Gasoline: +P0.80 per liter
Kerosene: +P2.90 per liter
Diesel: +P2.70 per liter
Caltex (12:01 a.m.)
Gasoline (Platinum): +P0.80 per liter
Gasoline (Silver): +P0.80 per liter
Kerosene: +P2.90 per liter
Diesel: +P2.70
PTT Philippines (6 a.m.)
Gasoline: +P0.80 per liter
Diesel: +P2.70 per liter
Unioil (6 a.m.)
Gasoline: +P0.80 per liter
Diesel: +P2.70 per liter
Phoenix Petroleum (6 a.m.)
Gasoline: +P0.80 per liter
Diesel: +P2.70 per liter
This is the second straight week that local oil firms have jacked up their prices. However, the increases were less was than those of last week. Local fuel prices are set based on the average Mean of Platts Singapore (MOPS). MOPS is the daily average price of refined petroleum products in Singapore trading. It is used for pricing petroleum products in Southeast Asia. Cumulative increases as of writing stand at P15.65 per liter for gasoline, P35.80 per liter for diesel and P26.75 per liter for kerosene.
