News Roundup 28 July 2024
Jul 28, 2024 • 4 min Read
Pimentel: Pagcor going around Pogo ban | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III on Saturday threatened to push for the abolition of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) if it refuses to fully comply with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to shut down all Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos).
“Just a reminder to Pagcor: Follow President Marcos’ instruction to the letter,” Pimentel said in a radio interview.
“The Senate might repeal the presidential decree that created you if you will countermand the instruction of your principal, the President, by hiding behind the new initials you invented,” he said.
The opposition senator said he was informed that Pagcor may claim that Mr. Marcos’ announcement during his third State of the Nation Address (Sona) only covered Pogos and not internet gaming licensees (IGLs).
The state gaming regulator had been using the term IGLs for offshore gaming establishments authorized to operate in the country.
“We feel that [Pagcor] would muddle the issue because they changed the name of ‘Pogo’ to ‘IGL.’ Don’t do that, because we will really get mad at you and we will not stop from investigating you,” Pimentel said.
A day after the President received positive response from legislators for his decision to put an end to Pogos, Pagcor Chair Alejandro Tengco told the House of Representatives the ban would include the remaining 43 IGLs.
Very clear orders
“[The President’s] orders are very clear: ‘I am instructing Pagcor to wind down the operations of all Pogos,’” Tengco said at the joint hearing of the House committee on public order and safety and committee on games and amusement.
Full Story at: Pimentel: Pagcor going around Pogo ban (inquirer.net)
PCG: Siphoning of fuel from sunken ship in Manila Bay rescheduled | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — The siphoning of the 1.4 million liters of fuel from a sunken motor tanker in Manila Bay will be rescheduled after sealing nine of the ship’s valves leaking more oil, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said on Sunday.
In a press briefing, PCG spokesperson Rear Admiral Armand Balilo disclosed that divers have confirmed the presence of nine leaking valves in the sunken MT Terra Nova.
“Immediately, the divers worked on sealing the valves, finishing the application of the second layer of sealant at around 10:42 a.m.,” the agency said in a separate statement.
“As of press time, Harbor Star divers continue to monitor the status of the nine valves and will conclude their operations after confirming the absence of industrial fuel oil leakage on board,” it added.
Last July 25, authorities said a Philippine-flagged tanker carrying industrial fuel “capsized and eventually submerged” in waters off Bataan province.
On Saturday, the PCG said the oil from the sunken Motor Tanker (MT) Terra Nova started to leak into Manila Bay, spreading about 12 to 14 kilometers across the area.
But Balilo assured the public that the leak was manageable or minimal and that its draining process “can be done quickly” within a week.
Story at: PH Coast Guard: Siphoning of fuel from sunken ship rescheduled (inquirer.net)
‘Carina’-hit schools postponing class opening down to 979 — DepEd chief | PHILSTAR.COM –MANILA, Philippines — The number of schools across the country that will postpone the opening of classes for the cleaning and rehabilitation of its campuses has decreased, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said Sunday.
On Sunday, Angara said that 979 schools nationwide will halt the start of classes for cleanup and rehabilitation of the damage left by last week’s rain brought by the southwest monsoon intensified by Super Typhoon Carina (international name: Gaemi).
The number was a decrease from the 1063 schools previously announced by the Department of Education (DepEd) on Saturday.
The following number of schools will be postponing their opening of classes on Monday per region:
- National Capital Region – 225
- Region I – 231
- Region III – 452
- Region IV-A – 67
- Region XII – 4
Full Story at: ‘Carina’-hit schools postponing class opening down to 979 — DepEd chief | Philstar.com
BI nabs 2 undocumented foreigners in Benguet | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — Two undocumented foreign nationals who are in the “vicinity” of a house owned by a Chinese national who allegedly have links to a raided Philippine Overseas Gaming Operator’s hub in Bamban, Tarlac have been arrested in Benguet, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Sunday.
The two foreign nationals were arrested in Tuba, Benguet on Saturday morning through a joint operation conducted by BI’s intelligence division in the Cordillera Administrative Region and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC).
The foreigners were identified as Wang Keping, 35 and Khuon Moeurn, 37.
The operation stemmed from the PAOCC’s information about a Chinese woman being linked to the agency’s raid at a POGO hub in Bamban.
This prompted the BI to issue a mission order to commence the apprehension of the Chinese woman.
However, upon the arrival of the authorities at the site, the Chinese woman was nowhere to be found.
Instead, Keping and Moeurn, who are undocumented foreign nationals, were seen in the vicinity.
It was then discovered that Moeurn was undocumented and overstaying after being unable to present his documentation.
Full Story at: BI nabs 2 undocumented foreigners in Benguet | Philstar.com
