News Roundup 17 April 2024
Apr 17, 2024 • 5 min Read
NSC urges legal action vs Alvarez for alleged ‘seditious’ remarks | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — The National Security Council (NSC) called on the Department of Justice to consider legal action against Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez (Davao del Norte) after the ally of former leader Rodrigo Duterte told the military and the police to withdraw its support for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The NSC, an agency under the Office of the President, said Alvarez’s call over the weekend could be interpreted as “seditious or rebellious.”
“Any call for withdrawal of support when done by a public official, more so one that is also a high-ranking reservist, is not only irresponsible but also illegal and unconstitutional,” National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said in a statement on Wednesday.
Alvarez is a Philippine Marine Corps reservist with a rank of colonel.
“It erodes the very foundation of our democratic institutions and undermines the supremacy of civilian authority over the military,” Año added.
Justice Secretary Jose Crispin Remulla on Tuesday ordered an investigation into the remarks of Alvarez to determine if they constitute sedition, incitement to sedition, or even rebellion.
Full Story at: NSC urges legal action vs Alvarez for alleged ‘seditious’ remarks | Philstar.com
SC asks Senate to comment on Quiboloy petition | PHILSTAR.COM – BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — The Supreme Court (SC) has asked the Senate to file their comment on the petition filed by the camp of doomsday preacher Apollo Quiboloy assailing the legality of the chamber’s warrant of arrest against him.
This has been confirmed by SC spokesperson Camille Sue Mae Ting in a media forum on Wednesday.
An order to comment is part of the high court’s procedures in handling cases or petitions.
On March 25, Quiboloy’s camp filed a petition with the Supreme Court, asking the high court to halt the Senate from enforcing the arrest warrant issued against the preacher for his failure to appear in a Senate investigation into the alleged abuses of his “church,” the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.
Along with Quiboloy’s petition is a request for a temporary restraining order or a writ of preliminary injunction to halt the enforcement of the arrest warrant.
In an ambush interview with reporters, Ting said that the high court only asked the Senate for comment to hear “both sides” and did not deny nor grant the preacher’s request for TRO.
In a statement, Sen. Risa Hontiveros, the chair of the Senate Committee on women, children, family relations and gender equality, said that she will respond to the SC’s request for comment.
Full Story at: SC asks Senate to comment on Quiboloy petition | Philstar.com
China ‘recruitment’ of PH troops, cops must be probed – Makabayan | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — China’s alleged recruitment of Filipino military and police personnel must be investigated, lawmakers from the Makabayan bloc of the House of Representatives said.
They also said that the reported existence of Chinese sleeper cells, or secretive groups on standby to conduct “infiltration and intervention activities,” in the country must be looked into, as these are considered “serious matters of national security.”
The Makabayan bloc, led by House Deputy Minority Leader France Castro, filed House Resolution (HR) No. 1682 and asked the House Committee on National Defense and Safety to handle the probe.
“Amidst the escalating aggressive actions of China in the West Philippine Sea as well as the ‘secret deal’ between former President Rodrigo Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping, reports of supposed Chinese operations to recruit active and retired Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police (PNP) personnel have surfaced,” Castro said in a statement on Wednesday.
Last April 8, the Department of National Defense ordered the AFP to investigate a “strange” recruitment effort of “part-time military consultants” traced to China. Two days later, the AFP considered the online recruitment scheme a national security concern, noting that an effort could have been made to obtain data from the Philippine armed forces.
Full Story at: China ‘recruitment’ of PH armed forces must be probed – solons (inquirer.net)
‘Nobody died’: Marcos calls Batangas ops ‘correct approach’ vs drugs | INQUIRER.NET – LUCENA CITY, QUEZON, Philippines — Following the seizure on Monday of some 1.8 tons of suspected crystal meth, or “shabu,” President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took a closer look at the confiscated pile, hailing the low-key operation that led to the discovery as “the correct approach to the drug war.”
“Nobody died,” Marcos said in an interview with reporters on Tuesday, taking an apparent swipe at the bloody antinarcotics campaign of his predecessor, former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Police on April 15 intercepted the drugs at a checkpoint in Alitagtag town, Batangas province. A team led by the municipal police chief, Capt. Luis de Luna Jr. was alerted about a passenger van going to Lipa City coming from Sta. Teresita town.
The van’s driver, Alajon Michael Zarate, was arrested after the vehicle was found carrying an estimated P13.3 billion worth of shabu.
De Luna was promoted on the spot by Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos during a press conference on Monday in Barangay Pinagkurusan, Alitagtag. Also present were Batangas Gov. Hermilando Mandanas and Philippine National Police chief Gen. Rommel Marbil.
Silent operation
Speaking at another press conference in Alitagtag, Marcos reiterated how his administration’s approach to the drug menace had sharply differed from that of Duterte’s.
“I would like to point out that this is the biggest shipment of shabu that we intercepted. But not one person died. Nobody died. No shots were fired. Nobody was hurt,” the President said.
“We operated silently. For me, this is the correct approach to the drug war,” he added.
Full Story at: ‘Nobody died’: Marcos calls recent shabu bust ‘correct approach’ (inquirer.net)
