News Roundup 22 April 2024
Apr 22, 2024 • 5 min Read
Solon chimes in on says First Lady – VP Sara rift: It’s crucial | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos’ ill feelings towards Vice President Sara Duterte are more than just personal matters, noting that it is crucial to the second-highest elecyed official’s standing in the administration, Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua said on Monday.
Chua, in a statement on Monday also said that this is now a question on Duterte’s character and integrity.
Duterte, in a video message earlier, addressed the First Lady’s criticisms supposedly borne out of the Vice President’s attendance in a rally where President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. was called an ‘addict’.
According to Duterte, she prefers to discuss the issue with the President privately.
“First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos’ feelings toward Vice President Sara Duterte are about Sara’s character and integrity as a supposed member of the administration and as a public servant,” Chua said.
“In public service, character and integrity are everything, so those feelings of the First Lady are NOT mere personal matters that can be cast aside as if they had no weight nor importance. The Vice President’s character and integrity are now in serious question,” he added.
Full Story at: Solon chimes in on says First Lady – VP Sara rift: It’s crucial (inquirer.net)
Hontiveros presses PNP to get Quiboloy’s guns: ‘Why so slow?’ | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) could now confiscate the firearms of Pastor Apollo Quiboloy based on the cases lodged against him, Sen. Risa Hontiveros said on Monday.
Quiboloy faces two arrest orders from the Davao and Pasig courts for sexual abuse and human trafficking charges.
A separate warrant of arrest was also issued by the Senate Committee on Women, headed by Hontiveros, after it investigated other human rights violations hurled at Quiboloy and his Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC).
“The PNP should stop making excuses. If they’re truly our allies in holding Quiboloy accountable for his insults to our institutions, they should do everything they can to capture him,” she said in Filipino in a statement,
“And one way to do it is the retrieval of weapons, especially of a fugitive.”
The senator cited the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the PNP.
According to her, the IRR clearly states that the “legal disability” or the loss by the licensee of the legal qualification or capacity to own and possess firearms includes the “pendency of a criminal case with [an] imposable penalty of more than 2 years.”
“With the number and severity of Quiboloy’s pending cases, his firearms could already be confiscated,” she said.
Full Story at: Hontiveros presses PNP to get Quiboloy’s guns: ‘Why so slow?’ (inquirer.net)
Marcos names ex-CA justice Sadang as new PCGG chief | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — A former magistrate of the Court of Appeals (CA) has been appointed as the new chairperson of the Presidential Commission on Good Governance (PCGG).
In a Facebook post on Monday, the Presidential Communications Office said that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appointed former CA Associate Justice Melchor Quirino Sadang to the agency tasked to recover the Marcos family’s ill-gotten wealth.
Sadang, who retired from the CA in 2017, replaces John Agbayani at the PCGG. He is the fifth appointee and the second justice from the appellate court appointed by Marcos in the agency.
In February 2023, Sadang became part of a five-person panel responsible for reviewing the courtesy resignations of hundreds of police officers in hopes of “cleansing” the ranks of the Philippine National Police.
Meanwhile, PCGG was established shortly after the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution removed the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr., the father of the current president, from the presidency and forced his family into exile in Hawaii.
It is mandated to recover the wealth stolen by the Marcos family and the cronies of Marcos Sr. during his rule for it to be returned to the national treasury. It is also an attached agency of the DOJ.
As of 2020, the government, through the PCGG, recovered P174.2 billion from the Marcos-ill gotten wealth.
Story at: Marcos names ex-CA justice Sadang as new PCGG chief | Philstar.com
Philippines, US launch annual joint military drills | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — Thousands of Filipino and American troops will kick off joint military exercises in the Philippines on Monday, as Beijing’s growing assertiveness in the region raises fears of a conflict.
The annual drills — dubbed Balikatan, or “shoulder to shoulder” in Tagalog — will be concentrated in the northern and western parts of the archipelago nation, near the potential flashpoints of the South China Sea and Taiwan.
China claims almost the entire waterway, a key route for international trade, and also considers self-ruled Taiwan to be part of its territory.
In response to China’s growing influence, the United States has been bolstering alliances with countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including the Philippines.
Washington and Manila are treaty allies and have deepened their defence cooperation since Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos took office in 2022.
While the Philippines is poorly armed, its proximity to the South China Sea and Taiwan would make it a key partner for the United States in the event of a conflict with China.
“The purpose of armed forces, why we exist, is really to prepare for war,” Philippine Colonel Michael Logico told reporters ahead of the drills.
“There’s no sugarcoating it… for us not to prepare, that’s a disservice to the country.”
Full Story at: Philippines, US launch annual joint military drills | Philstar.com
