News Roundup 12 May 2023
May 12, 2023 • 4 min Read
Leila de Lima acquitted in 2nd drug case | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — Leila de Lima secured her second victory on Friday as Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court Branch 204 acquitted the former senator of involvement in the illegal drug trade.
Judge Joseph Abraham Alcantara found no reason to convict de Lima and her former aide, Ronnie Dayan, who were both accused of conspiracy to commit illegal drug trading in the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) while she was Justice Secretary.
De Lima has now won two of three drug cases filed against her during the administration of her nemesis, former president Rodrigo Duterte. She has been in detention since February 2017 and had repeatedly denied the drug charges which she branded as fictional.
Based on court records, de Lima and Dayan were accused of conspiracy to commit illegal drug trading as the former justice chief allegedly received a total of P10 million from former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) officer-in-charge Rafael Ragos to supposedly fund her 2016 senatorial bid. The money purportedly came from high-profile NBP inmates.
Ragos was initially named as a co-accused of de Lima in this drug case but he was later declared a witness for the government against the former senator. However, in 2022, Ragos disowned his testimony, saying he was only coerced to pin de Lima for the supposed wrongdoing.
Full Story at: Leila de Lima acquitted in 2nd drug case | Inquirer News
Hontiveros wants crackdown on misleading job offers for OFWs in Taiwan | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — Senator Risa Hontiveros has called on government agencies to go after misleading job offers for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Taiwan.
This after several Filipinos in Taiwan complained of harsh working conditions and jobs that are far from what they have applied for or offered to them.
Hontiveros, in a statement on Friday, said that some OFWs in Taipei, Taiwan’s capital, told her that there were inconsistencies in the job description that recruitment agencies offered in the Philippines, compared to the actual work that they are doing.
Among the inconsistencies experienced by some of the OFWs in Taiwan involve wages and salaries, working hours, amount of work, and other benefits.
“Ayon mismo sa ating mga kababayan, hindi nagtutugma ang mga detalye ng dalawa nilang pinipirmahan para makapagtrabaho sa Taiwan. Misleading ang mga nakasaad. Yung job description, day off, rest day, oras ng trabaho, at maging ang sweldo, hindi pareho,” the senator said.
(Our fellow Filipinos themselves said that the details of the job contracts they signed to work in Taiwan do not match. What was stated is misleading — the job description, day off, rest day, working hours, and even the salaries are not the same.)
Full Story at: Hontiveros wants crackdown on misleading job offers for OFWs in Taiwan | Inquirer News
CHR calls out SMNI for red-tagging journalists | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Human Rights has once again called out the hosts of Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) for going on a red-tagging spree, this time targeting journalists affiliated with the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines.
The human rights body said that it is “gravely alarmed” by the new round of red-tagging by the hosts of an SMNI show, reiterating that the practice exposes innocent individuals to intimidation, violence and unnecessary state surveillance.
In a statement on Friday, CHR condemned the incident and warned against “sweeping political generalizations that undermine human rights, reinforce inequalities, and introduce hostile divisions in the Filipino society.”
On World Press Freedom Day, SMNI anchor Jeffrey Celiz falsely claimed that Philstar.com editor and NUJP Chairperson Jonathan de Santos was “active in the underground operations” of the Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army – National Democratic Front and Celiz also accused Philstar.com of being affiliated with the same communist groups and levied similar false claims against former Philippine Daily Inquirer correspondent and former NUJP Chairperson Nestor Burgos and Rappler.
Full Story at: CHR calls out SMNI for red-tagging journalists | Philstar.com
Hontiveros talks Chinese aggression in meeting with Taiwanese president Tsai | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Risa Hontiveros met Friday with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-Wen at the latter’s residence in Taipei where they discussed China’s aggression in the South China Sea, which the Philippine lawmaker called an “external threat” similarly faced by the self-governing island.
The Philippines follows the ‘One China’ and considers the Taiwan issue a domestic one.
The meeting between Tsai and Hontiveros — the first and highest sitting Philippine official to meet with the Taiwanese president during the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. — comes amid China’s brashness not only in the South China Sea but also around Taiwan which it claims to be a renegade province.
A press statement from Hontiveros’ office said the senator shared with Tsai that China’s intimidation, threats and harassment are “daily occurrences” that Filipino fisherfolk and Philippine Coast Guard personnel experience.
But in her opening statement at their meeting, Hontiveros said that, like Tsai, she desires a peaceful approach to issues on the South China Sea, a portion of which is the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone and continental shelf and is called the West Philippine Sea.
Full Story at: Hontiveros talks Chinese aggression in meeting with Taiwanese president Tsai | Philstar.com
