News Roundup 01 January 2024
Jan 01, 2024 • 4 min Read
SC approves procedural rules on anti-terror law | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court on Monday said it has finalized the set of procedural rules guiding all petitions and applications related to the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, which will take effect on January 15.
In a statement, the High Court said that the approved rules will cover all petitions and applications related to detentions without judicial warrants of arrest, surveillance orders, freeze orders, travel restrictions, designations, proscriptions and other court issuances meted out in the implementation of the anti-terrorism law.
These guidelines will apply to all individuals or groups who “seek to obtain judicial relief from their designation as terrorist by the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) and the issuance of any freeze order by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) as a result of such designation.”
According to the rules, the CA (Court of Appeals) can only issue a preliminary order of proscription within 72 hours of receiving a verified petition if the petitioner has sufficiently established probable cause that the order is necessary to prevent terrorism.
This order allows the AMLC to investigate and freeze the assets of the accused. The CA then holds hearings and decides on the petition within three months. If clear and convincing evidence is presented, a permanent order of proscription is issued for three years.
Law enforcement personnel must also first obtain a written order from the CA before they can conduct surveillance on individuals associated with terrorism and secretly monitor and collect information related to their communication and activities. The rules specify the grounds, content, and effectiveness of such surveillance orders.
Full Story at: SC approves procedural rules on anti-terror law | Philstar.com
Over 100 SK execs warn Marcos of looming transport crisis with PUV modernization | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — More than 100 Sangguniang Kabataan officials have signed a unity statement opposing the government’s franchise consolidation plan for public utility vehicles (PUV), warning that the franchise consolidation requirement would lead to a mass transport crisis among millions of commuters.
According to a statement shared by the Kabataan Partylist, the SK officials said they oppose the franchise consolidation deadline set on December 31 as it threatens to strip off the livelihood and income of more than 60,0000 jeepney operators by forcing them to submit to the management of transport cooperatives or corporations.
Kabataan Partylist told reporters in a message on Sunday that 111 officials have signed the statement.
“The repercussions of drastically reducing the number of PUVs in January 2024 extend beyond economic implications. Aside from creating dents in commuter’s budgets, especially those working or studying, it threatens to plunge millions of Filipino commuters into a dire transport crisis, profoundly impacting crucial sectors of our economy,” the statement read.
Full Story at: Over 100 SK execs warn Marcos of looming transport crisis with PUV modernization | Philstar.com
Transport group claims low PUV franchise consolidation rate in Metro Manila | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — Transport group Piston on Monday said that the franchise consolidation rate among jeepney operators in Metro Manila has remained low one day after the consolidation deadline last December 31, 2023.
Piston president Mody Floranda explained that while attached agencies of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) reported an increase in the number of franchise holders who opted to consolidate, more than half of PUV operators in Metro Manila are still unconsolidated.
“Batay dito sa nakuha nating datos, nasa 73.5 percent pa ang hindi pumapasok sa consolidation dito sa National Capital Region (NCR),” Floranda told Inquirer.net in a phone interview.
(Based on the data we gathered, around 73.5 percent are still unconsolidated in the National Capital Region.)
“This means that the majority of PUVs plying the streets in the region are still traditional jeepneys,” he added in Filipino.
Full Story at: Transport group claims low PUV franchise consolidation rate in Metro Manila | Inquirer News
Embo barangay residents lose Makati health card benefits | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — Residents of the “embo” barangays which are now under the jurisdiction of Taguig City on Monday lost their Makati City health benefits care benefits.
In 2021, the Supreme Court ruled that the Embo and nearby barangays are under the jurisdiction of Taguig City.
The Court doubled down its decision in 2022, when it denied Makati’s motion for reconsideration.
“Alinsunod sa desisyon ng Korte Suprema, ikinalulungkot naming ipaalam sa inyo na simula January 1, 2024 wala nang bisa ang yellow card na may address sa 10 Embo barangays maliban kung sila ay mga empleyado ng Pamahalaang Lungsod ng Makati,” said the local government unit (LGU) in a Facebook post.
(In accordance with the decision of the Supreme Court, we regretfully announce that starting January 1, 2024, yellow card holders from the 10 Embo barangays will no longer be valid, except for employees of the city government.)
Full Story at: Embo barangay residents lose Makati health card benefits | Inquirer News
