News Roundup 05 April 2024
Apr 05, 2024 • 4 min Read
Better to defer Cha-cha until after 2025 elections – Pimentel | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — It would be better to defer Charter change (Cha-cha) talks until the 2025 election is finished with a “new set of legislators” having been elected, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko Pimentel III said in a press conference on Friday.
“Although I’m open to constitutional amendments, let’s not have it now with the same set of legislators,” Pimentel, speaking partly in Filipino, told reporters.
“After the 2025 elections — that’s it. Let’s entertain it. There will be a new set of legislators.”
Pimentel made his remarks after a Pulse Asia poll showed that most Filipinos still did not believe that now would be the right time to amend the Constitution.
Pimentel, an opposition senator, said the previous people’s initiative bid – which senators believe was stirred by some of their counterparts in the House of Representatives – tainted the public’s view of Cha-cha.
“Under this context or given this situation, you will doubt all efforts to amend the Constitution at this moment because we are dealing with the same people. The same persons are involved,” he said.
Earlier this year, members of the Senate and the House traded in heated barbs over the controversial signature campaign.
Full Story at: Better to defer Cha-cha until after 2025 elections – Pimentel (inquirer.net)
CHR to probe recent killings of barangay officials across PH | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) said on Friday that the recent cases of killings of some barangay officials across the country were “alarming,” prompting the agency to conduct its own investigation.
According to the CHR, these incidents were endorsed to its regional offices.
“The Commission on Human Rights vehemently condemns the recent killings of barangay officials across the country. This year has seen an increase in the number of incidents involving violence against barangay officials, which is alarming and necessitates an immediate investigation,” the CHR said in a statement.
“These incidents have been endorsed to various CHR regional offices for further investigation and launching of a quick response operation (QRO) to assist with the investigation,” it added.
The agency said that in March alone, four incidents had been recorded, including the case of a barangay councilor in Legazpi City, Albay, who was stabbed and killed inside his house on March 6, as well as a former barangay kagawad killed by unknown assailants in Mamasapano, Maguindanao del Sur on March 30.
Full Story at: CHR to probe recent killings of barangay officials across PH (inquirer.net)
US, Japan, Philippines to focus on economic partnership during trilateral summit — DFA | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — An official from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said that the trilateral meeting between the Philippines, United States and Japan will only be focused on economic relations and will not be directed against any country.
This has been revealed by DFA Undersecretary Hans Mohaimin Siriban in a Palace briefing on Friday, a week before the trilateral summit of the three countries. He shared that the leading agenda of the meeting will be promoting peace in the Indo-Pacific region.
“It is really a deepening of the existing strong bilateral alliances that we have had and, of course, if you look at the areas of discussion that are being looked at, the primary focus, really, is on economic cooperation…building on economic resilience,” the DFA official said.
“For the Philippines, our interest is to build economic resilience,” he added.
However, he said that the three leaders, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida could also discuss the tensions in the West Philippine Sea, aiming to promote the freedom of navigation and the protection of Filipino fishermen.
Full Story at: US, Japan, Philippines to focus on economic partnership during trilateral summit — DFA | Philstar.com
Government eyes expanded amnesty for Reds | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos wants to expand the amnesty program for communist rebels to include about 1,500 insurgents who have yet to surrender to the government, officials said.
National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said the amnesty program was tackled during the fifth executive committee meeting of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict yesterday at Malacañang.
“The President has directed the immediate implementation of the amnesty program to the remaining members of the CPP-NPA-NDF (Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front) since Congress has already concurred with the proclamation,” Año said at a press briefing.
He was referring to Proclamation No. 404 issued last November, which granted amnesty to former rebels who have committed crimes in furtherance of their political beliefs. The proclamation covered about 40,000 insurgents.
Presidential peace adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. said Marcos may issue another proclamation to cover rebels who have not yet laid down their arms.
Full Story at: Government eyes expanded amnesty for Reds | Philstar.com
