News Roundup 19 September 2023
Sep 19, 2023 • 4 min Read
Green activists say they were abducted by military, deny surrender | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — The two environmental defenders who went missing in Bataan earlier this month said Tuesday that they were abducted and threatened by the military, countering the government’s claim that they voluntarily surrendered to authorities.
Jonila Castro and Jhed Tamano emerged in government custody last week after being taken by armed men in Orion, Bataan on September 2. Security officials claimed the two activists sought the government’s help to leave the communist movement.
But in a briefing organized by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict Tuesday, 21-year-old Castro categorically said that they were kidnapped and forced by the military to issue an affidavit
“Dinukot kami ng mga militar sakay ng van. Napilitan din kaming sumurrender dahil pinagbantaan ang buhay namin. ‘Yun ang totoo,” Jonila Castro, a community organizer with AKAP KA Manila Bay, said in a briefing.
(We were abducted by military personnel on board a van. We were also forced to surrender because our lives were threatened. That is the truth.)
“Hindi rin totoo ‘yung laman ng affidavit dahil pinirmahan iyon sa loob ng kampo ng militar. Wala na kaming magagawa sa pagkakataong iyon,” Castro added.
(The content of the affidavit is not true because it was signed inside the military camp, and we had no choice at that time.)
Tamano, 22, also said that they did not surrender but were instead coerced.
Full Story at: Green activists say they were abducted by military, deny surrender | Philstar.com
Hontiveros calls for Senate probe into ‘cult’ in Surigao abusing minors | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — Over a thousand minors have endured sexual violence, child abuse, and forced marriage at the hands of an alleged cult in Surigao del Norte, Sen. Risa Hontiveros said as she called on the upper house to intervene.
“Dear colleagues, a community of children in Socorro, Surigao del Norte is crying for help. These children are our children,” Hontiveros, who chairs the Senate committee on women and children, said in a privilege speech Monday.
Hontiveros said that the Socorro Bayanihan Services initially began as a civic organization but later transformed into a cult.
The senator played video messages of minors who had experienced sexual assault and were coerced into marrying the cult leader.
“What we have learned is dire and despicable. We need to save those children,” she said.
Hontiveros also filed a resolution seeking to investigate the alleged cult.
Full Story at: Hontiveros calls for Senate probe into ‘cult’ in Surigao abusing minors | Philstar.com
Lawmaker wants policy on confidential, intelligence funds | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — Amid discussions regarding confidential and intelligence funds (CIF), Albay 1st District Rep. Edcel Lagman believes it is high time that Congress comes up with a policy regarding the budgeting of such allocations.
At the plenary debates on the proposed 2024 national budget’s general provisions on Monday, Lagman asked the budget sponsor and Marikina 2nd District Rep. Stella Quimbo whether there is already an existing policy on determining how an agency is entitled to receiving CIF.
After Quimbo answered in the negative, Lagman asked again if there was now a need to craft a policy on the matter.
Quimbo — senior vice chairperson of the House committee on appropriations — agreed with Lagman.
Full Story at: Lawmaker wants policy on confidential, intelligence funds | Inquirer News
OVP’s confidential fund sparks heated debate between Quimbo, Castro anew | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — Discussions about providing confidential funds to the Office of the Vice President (OVP) in 2022 sparked another heated debate between Marikina 2nd District Representative Stella Quimbo and ACT Teachers Party-list Representative France Castro.
Their argument resulted in the suspension of the session in the House of Representatives on Tuesday.
During the plenary debates on the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) or the proposed 2024 budget, Castro asked whether or not a government office was authorized to fund items even if the items did not receive any allocation for that year.
Quimbo initially agreed with Castro.
Quimbo serves as senior vice chairperson of House committee on appropriations and she was sponsoring the general provisions of GAB.
Castro then shifted to whether or not OVP was entitled to have confidential funds (CF) in the 2022 budget when such a line item was not originally specified.
Full Story at: OVP’s confidential fund sparks heated debate between Quimbo, Castro anew | Inquirer News
