News Roundup 18 February 2024
Feb 18, 2024 • 4 min Read
55% of Filipinos favor gov’t cooperation with ICC probe — survey | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — More than half of Filipinos believe that the government should cooperate with the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) investigation into killings under the Duterte administration’s “war on drugs,” according to a survey by OCTA Research.
Results of the poll released Sunday showed that 55% of adult Filipinos are in favor of the government cooperating with the probe into alleged crimes against humanity committed during the previous administration’s anti-illegal drugs campaign.
Meanwhile, 45% are opposed to cooperating with the investigation of The Hague-based tribunal.
In January, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the government does not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC and will not cooperate with the probe.
“Across different major areas, the percentage of adult Filipinos who favor this idea ranges from 42% to 65%. The highest support is in Balance Luzon (65%), while the lowest is in Mindanao (42%),” OCTA Research said.
It noted that Bicol region recorded the highest approval for cooperation with 79%, while Davao region, former president Rodrigo Duterte’s hometown, had the lowest support with only 6%.
Support for government cooperation with the ICC investigation was highest among those aged 75 and over (67%) and lowest among those aged 35 to 44 (50%).
“In terms of gender, the percentage of adult Filipinos who are in favor of this idea is almost the same for both females (56%) and males (55%),” it added.
The poll was conducted from December 10 to 14 using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults, with a margin of error of ±3% for national percentages and ±6% for regional breakdowns.
Rejoining ICC
The OCTA Research survey also suggested that 59% of adult Filipinos are in favor of rejoining the ICC, while 41% oppose the move.
Full Story at: 55% of Filipinos favor gov’t cooperation with ICC probe — survey | Philstar.com
Tagle awarded with France’s highest honor | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — The French government has conferred its highest honor on Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle.
The senior Filipino clergyman was awarded with the Legion of Honor, France’s highest distinction established by emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, “for being a remarkable man of the Church at the service of the common good,” according to the news service of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
Tagle, currently the pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization at the Vatican, and previously bishop of Imus in Cavite and archbishop of Manila, was given the rank of “officer” under the said honor.
French Ambassador to Vatican Florence Mangin, who presented the award to Tagle last Thursday, commended his “intellectual and pastoral journeys,” the CBCP said.
“But more than that, your career has been marked by a concern for the poorest people, particularly during his pastoral mission while he was in the Philippines,” she added.
The French government recognized Tagle’s “programs for victims of violence and drug addiction, as well as his commitment to migrants and victims of natural disasters,” according to the envoy.
“It is this journey, these commitments of yours, these qualities of soul and heart that the French Republic wishes to salute and honor by elevating you to the rank of Officer of the Legion of Honor,” Mangin said.
Tagle thanked the French government for the accolade, which he accepted “in the name of the countless men and women who have served and continue to serve the evangelizing mission of the Church.”
Full Story at: Tagle awarded with France’s highest honor | Philstar.com
Comelec asked to return signed sheets that called for People’s Initiative | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — The withdrawal forms distributed by Commission on Elections (Comelec) to people claiming to have been tricked into signing the signature sheets for the so-called people’s initiative (PI) in exchange for “ayuda” or aid is just a “palliative measure.”
This is the view of election lawyer Romulo Macalintal expressed on Sunday.
In a statement, Macalintal said instead of distributing the withdrawal forms, Comelec should return the signed sheets to persons who previously submitted them.
The move is meant to determine who want to withdraw their signatures.
He noted the distribution of withdrawal forms does not solve the problem.
Full Story at: Comelec asked to return signed sheets that called for People’s Initiative | Inquirer News
Lawmaker calls for probe of wind energy farm project in Rizal | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — House Deputy Minority Leader and Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Party-list Representative France Castro has condemned the drilling in Masungi Georeserve in Tanay, Rizal.
Castro emphasized on Sunday the urgent need to protect the area and its species from environmental destruction.
“The drilling inside the Masungi Karst Conservation Area for the planned wind energy farm poses a severe threat to the environment, particularly endangering the local bird and bat species, as well as the delicate ecosystem of the area,” the lawmaker said in a statement.
“We call for the immediate stop and relocation of this project by the Rizal Wind Energy Corp. (RWEC), whose parent company, Singapore-based Vena Energy, would wreak havoc on our fragile ecology and spell dangerous floods like those experienced now in Mindanao,” she warned.
Castro also urged government to revoke all permits for the wind energy project within Masungi Georeserve, joining the call of its caretakers.
Full Story at: Lawmaker calls for probe of wind energy farm project in Rizal | Inquirer News
