News Roundup 07 February 2024
Feb 07, 2024 • 4 min Read
House summons Quiboloy | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — The House legislative franchises committee has greenlighted the issuance of a subpoena against controversial preacher Apollo Quiboloy to compel him to appear before lawmakers and answer their questions about SMNI, the television network founded by the church under Quiboloy’s leadership.
During the committee’s hearing on Wednesday on the contents of SMNI’s broadcasts, Rep. Arlene Brosas (Gabriela Women’s Party) asked to summon Quiboloy to the House, noting that his continued absence in hearings keeps him from directly addressing concerns about SMNI, including his actual role in the organization.
Mark Tolentino, counsel for SMNI, insisted that Quiboloy is not “part of the day-to-day operations of SMNI” and serves only as honorary chairperson.
Based on available archives of SMNI’s website in Wayback Machine, the “about” section of the television network last included the name of Quiboloy in May 2023. Specifically, it mentioned that SMNI “is the broadcasting arm of a Philippine television evangelist, Pastor Apollo Quiboloy.”
By July 2023, the “about” page of SMNI’s website no longer mentioned Quiboloy. The website is currently unavailable.
“It’s about time we ask him to be present here and face our questions directly, because these cannot be answered by a mere lawyer,” Brosas said.
Full Story at: House summons Quiboloy | Philstar.com
Manibela files graft rap vs DOTr execs, OSG over PUV modernization | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — Transport group Manibela on Wednesday filed a complaint against officials of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG).
In a five-page complaint filed by the transport group before the Office of the Ombudsman, Manibela said that the officials violated the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act by not observing “due process” as they pushed for the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP).
Among the respondents in Manibela’s complaint are Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista, Office of Transport Cooperatives (OTC) Chairman Ferdinand Ortega, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Chairman Teofilo Guadiz III and Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra.
“Maraming vioniolate ang programa nitong mga opisyal ng DOTr, LTFRB, OTC at kasama po dito ang solicitor general,” Manibela Chairman Mar Valbuena said in an interview with reporters.
(Many violations have been committed by officials of the DOTr, LTFRB, OTC and the solicitor general is also included in this.)
“Inabuso tayo, nilabag ang ating mga karapatan, dineprive ang ating mga kabuhayan,” he added.
(We were abused, our rights were violated and our livelihoods were deprived.)
Valbuena said that the respondents violated human rights by depriving them of their livelihood due to DOTr-issued Memorandum Circular No. 2023-051.
Full Story at: Manibela files graft rap vs DOTr execs, OSG over PUV modernization | Philstar.com
Teodoro calls for more structures, increased AFP presence in Batanes | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. called for the development of more structures and ordered the military to increase its presence in Batanes, the country’s northernmost island closest to Taiwan.
Teodoro made the call during his visit to the Naval Detachment in Mavulis Island in the province.
“He also called for the development of more structures, noting that Batanes is the ‘spearhead of the Philippines as far as the northern baseline is concerned’,” the Philippine Navy said in a statement on Tuesday night.
“The Secretary also gave instructions for an increased AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) presence in the area,” the Navy added.
Aside from Teodoro, AFP Chief-of-Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr., along with other AFP officials, also visited the island- province.
Full Story at: Teodoro calls for more structures, increased AFP presence in Batanes | Inquirer News
DFA reassessing visa targets as China outbound tourists dwindle | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) admitted on Wednesday that it would have to reassess its targets for 2024 due to the unexpected decline in China’s outbound travelers last year.
The DFA, along with the Department of Tourism (DOT), said in March 2023 that it is targeting to make it easier for tourists from China and India to travel to the Philippines, setting an initial target of 1.8 million visas issued to Chinese citizens for the year.
This translates to 6,818 visas issued a day which, the DOT previously said, is not far from the pre-pandemic figure of 1.5 million visas issued in a year.
But in a press conference at Parañaque City on Wednesday, Tourism Undersecretary Jesus Domingo bared that DOT targets were skewed by the decrease in Chinese nationals visiting the Philippines in 2023, prompting them to reassess their goals.
“In terms of specific targets, these are very fluid. Because on one hand, Chinese outbound tourism has itself declined and […] we need to vet carefully,” Domingo explained, saying that China is instead focusing on improving its domestic tourism.
Full Story at: DFA resets visa targets as China tourists dwindle | Inquirer News
