News Roundup 08 March 2022
Mar 08, 2022 • 8 min Read
SC issues temporary halt order vs Comelec’s ‘Oplan Baklas’ | PHILSTAR.COM – The Supreme Court has temporarily stopped the implementation of the Commission on Elections “Oplan Baklas,” pending the resolution of the petition filed by supporters of Vice President Leni Robredo. The SC Public Information Office on Tuesday said the Court en banc issued a temporary restraining order against the Comelec and Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez in connection with Oplan Baklas. The high court also ordered the poll body to answer the petition within 10 days from receipt of SC resolution. “In G.R. No. 258805, the Petitioners sought the issuance of a TRO, while the resolution of the petition is pending, prohibiting the Respondents from implementing Section 21 (o), Section 24 and Section 27 of the Comelec Resolution No. 10730,” the SC PIO said in a statement. The parts of the resolution are connected to the Comelec’s “order to dismantle, remove, destroy deface, and/or confiscate all election materials that are privately owned and private funded solely by volunteers and private citizens and posted and/or installed within their private properties,” it added. “In G.R. No. 258805, the Petitioners sought the issuance of a TRO, while the resolution of the petition is pending, prohibiting the Respondents from implementing Section 21 (o), Section 24 and Section 27 of the Comelec Resolution No. 10730,” the SC PIO said in a statement. The parts of the resolution are connected to the Comelec’s “order to dismantle, remove, destroy deface, and/or confiscate all election materials that are privately owned and private funded solely by volunteers and private citizens and posted and/or installed within their private properties,” it added. The petitioners, who are supporters of presidential bet Robredo from different areas, asked the SC to issue a TRO to prohibit the Comelec from enforcing part of the assailed resolution on March 1. The petition was heavily anchored on the 2015 case Diocese of Bacolod v. Comelec. They argued that Resolution 10730 is unconstitutional “for being a direct violation of the people’s constitutional rights to freedom of expression, due process of law, equal protection clause and property.”
Rights groups protest appeals court post for ‘warrant factory judge’ | PHILSTAR.COM – Human rights groups said the appointment of Jose Lorenzo Dela Rosa, whom they tagged as “search warrant factory judge”, to the Court of Appeals, was an act of impunity in the deaths of activists killed in the “Bloody Sunday” raids in March 2021. Manila regional trial court judge Dela Rosa has been promoted to the CA, based on the document shared by the Supreme Court Public Information Office on Monday night. But human rights groups pointed out that the judge issued search warrants in the Bloody Sunday raids and for the arrest of Tumandok leaders in December 2020. Service of the warrants in those cases led to deaths. Rights alliance Karapatan said Dela Rosa issued the search warrants that led to the killing of BAYAN-Cavite coordinator Manny Asuncion and the arrests of Elizabeth Camoral and Esteban Mendoza in the “Bloody Sunday” raids in Calabarzon on March 7, 2021. “His promotion exactly a year after the ‘Bloody Sunday’ raids is not merely impunity: it is rubbing salt on the wounds of those victimized by the search warrants he issued,” Karapatan Deputy Secretary General Roneo Clamor said in a statement. “It is a slap in the face of justice,” Clamor said, adding the appointment was a “reward” for Dela Rosa’s part in the raids and arrests. The Department of Justice is currently conducting a preliminary investigation into the murder complaint filed against police officers over the killing of Asuncion. Non-governmental organization Defend Southern Tagalog meanwhile said Dela Rosa “served a major part in approving 42 death warrants among 72 applied for by state forces on March 1 last year.” Activist groups have warned that warrants, some of which were later thrown out by courts, have been used for harassment and intimidation. In some cases, activists have been killed, with police saying they had violently resisted arrest. They also raised concerns that Dela Rosa’s appointment could affect cases related to the raids.
‘Filipinos are suffering’: Drilon sees no legal obstacle for gov’t to halt fuel excise tax | INQUIRER.NET – There is no legal impediment that would stop the executive department from suspending the collection of fuel excise taxes in order to cushion the impact of rising oil prices, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said Tuesday. “We are not seeking an exemption from taxes here, and therefore a strict construction of the law is misplaced,” Drilon said in a statement, referring to the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law. “Filipinos are suffering. The burden should be borne by the government. The government cannot just stand and hide behind the law to say that there is nothing that can be done. We cannot wait for the law to be amended before we act. The situation is changing rapidly by the day and we need to act fast,” he added. Drilon, a former justice secretary, said no law is precluding the Department of Finance (DOF) and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) from recommending the collection of excise taxes on fuel imports. “There is no stopping the executive, specifically the Department of Finance (DOF) and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), from suspending the collection of excise taxes on petroleum products, if they really want to mitigate the impact of high oil prices on the cost of goods and living expenses of the ordinary Filipino,” he said. “They implement the law. Who will blame DOF and BIR if they suspend the excise taxes on fuel products? Who will file a case against them? Whose rights will be violated if the taxes are suspended? Please stop hiding behind the law. The TRAIN law does not intend to tie the hands of the government and prevent it from responding to shocking increases in oil prices to the detriment of consumers,” he added. The senator said this as local pump prices of fuel products are expected to shoot up again this week. He noted tha gasoline prices are expected to increase by P3.50 to P3.70 per liter while diesel may go up by P5.30 to P5.50. In the event that Dubai crude reaches $120 per barrel, the Department of Energy estimates that gasoline prices may rise to P78.33 per liter, while diesel may leap to P68.97 per liter, Drilon said.
The vice president is a woman: Leader, mother, lawyer, social advocate | Manila Bulletin – The formidable spirit of a woman leader, the compassionate heart of a mother, the mind of a lawyer, the resilience of a social advocate – those are the qualities that push Vice President Leni Robredo to work for the people, despite the odds, one of them, being excluded from programs initiated by the Office of the President. As the world celebrates Women’s Month with the high-profile celebration of International Women’s Day on March 8, VP Leni brings the strength of a woman leader as another indication that in the Philippines, big strides have been made to break the gender bias. “I believe it’s the innate fortitude of women that helps me power through these roles,” she said in an email interview with the Manila Bulletin. As the May 2022 elections draw near, Robredo, the lone female presidential candidate, looks ahead at the road less traveled. The political landscape in the country historically does not give a “warm welcome” to Filipinas. That makes the road ahead more challenging to this mild-tempered official. She’s looking at beating well-established political families and at the prospect of governing a country pummeled by a global health pandemic, economic recession, joblessness, and fake news. Perhaps, this woman leader is best described by eldest daughter Aika when she represented her mother in one of the events she had to miss because she was busy campaigning in the provinces. “Kaming magkakapatid, tuwing ni-re-represent namin ‘yung mama namin, sinusubukan naming ipakilala siya through our lens; dahil ako po, sa tingin ko, malaking bahagi ng pagiging mabuting lider niya ang pagiging isang mabuting ina (We siblings, every time we represent our mama, we try to introduce her through our lens, because, in my opinion, a big part of her being a good leader is her being a good mother),” she had said. “Madalas po kami tanungin, ano ba ‘yung difference ni Leni as a mother and Leni as a leader? Sa tingin ko po hindi mapaghihiwalay ‘yun (We’re always being asked about the difference with Leni as a mother and Leni as a leader? I think we cannot separate that),” Aika added. She shared that her mother, just like what a leader should be, had always shown up “in the most difficult times,” including in the most heartbreaking of all when “daddy’s girls” lost their father, former Interior secretary Jesse Robredo. “We were shocked and unprepared, and as the new head of the household, I knew I had to work very hard to provide for our three children and to send them to school. That’s what mothers do: we face all challenges for our children’s futures,” Robredo said.
