News Roundup 13 May 2023
May 13, 2023 • 4 min Read
Church leaders on de Lima’s acquittal: ‘Blatant misogyny’ lead to her frameup | INQUIRER.NET –MANILA, Philippines — Several church leaders under the “One Faith. One Nation. One Voice” movement celebrated the acquittal of former senator Leila de Lima in her second drug case, but pointed out that her detention stemmed from misogyny and demagoguery.
De Lima’s trial began when former president Rodrigo Duterte linked her to the illegal drug trade in New Bilibid Prison, igniting a long legal process that even involved an alleged sex tape.
“We rejoice with former Senator Leila de Lima on the wonderful news of Acquittal in the case against her. We underscore the blatant misogyny and demagoguery that led to her political frame-up and detention under fabricated charges,” said the group on Friday.
“Such underhanded and despicable machinations have no place in a democratic society,” they added.
Undersigned church leaders who showed their support for de Lima include:
- Most. Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, D.D. Apostolic Vicar of Taytay, Palawan
- Most Rev. Gerardo Alminaza, D.D., Bishop, Diocese of San Carlos, Roman Catholic Church
- Minnie Ann Mata-Calub, Acting General Secretary, National Council of Churches in the Philippines
- Most Revd. Rhee M. Timbang, Obispo Maximo, Iglesia Filipina Independiente
- Bp. Emergencio Padillo, Bishop, United Church of Christ in the Philippines
- Right Revd. Dindo C. Ranojo, IFI, General Secretary, Ecumenical Bishops Forum
- Rev. Dr. Federico Villanueva, Faith and Bayan
- Sr. Rowena Pineda, MMS, Chairperson, Sisters Association of Mindanao
- Sr. Ma. Lisa Ruedas, DC, Daughters of Charity, Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation
The church leaders also urged for the dismissal of De Lima’s last drug case.
Full Story at: Church leaders on de Lima’s acquittal: ‘Blatant misogyny’ lead to her frameup | Inquirer News
Makabayan bloc reiterates: Maharlika bill’s swift passage unconstitutional | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — The Makabayan bloc on Saturday asserted that the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) is unconstitutional after the Supreme Court dismissed the bloc’s petition questioning the bill’s fast passage in the House of Representatives.
“We stand by our assertion that the President’s certification of the measure as urgent did not explicitly spell out any public calamity nor emergency, in violation of Article VI Section 26 (2) of the Constitution. The controversial bill was also passed on second and third reading on the same day, violating the rules of procedure of the House of Representatives which state that no bill must be approved on second and third reading on the same day,” said the Makabayan bloc in a joint statement.
According to one of the petitioners, Bayan Muna chair Neri Colmenares, Malacañang certifying the bill “was useless and a blatant abuse of power because up till now after almost five months of its issuance, the MIF is still not finalized and is yet to be discussed in the Senate.”
He added that rushing the bill did not allow representatives to properly scrutinize it, leading to dubious gaps in the bill, such as the lack of independence by making the Finance Secretary, a presidential appointee, the head of the MIF’s board members.
Full Story at: Makabayan bloc reiterates: Maharlika bill’s swift passage unconstitutional | Inquirer News
CHR hopes for swift decision on De Lima’s bail application after 2nd acquittal | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Human Rights welcomed the verdict of Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 256 to acquit former Sen. Leila de Lima on her second case — this while urging the court to decide quickly on her bail petition regarding her third and final drug-related charge.
The Muntinlupa RTC on Friday ruled in favor of the opposition figure and her driver-bodyguard Ronnie Dayan on the grounds of “reasonable doubt” after one of the key witnesses recanted his previous testimony.
De Lima was earlier accused of accepting P10 million from the illegal drug trade inside the New Bilibid Prison, allegedly for her 2016 senatorial bid. The court, however, didn’t see positive evidences linking De Lima and Dayan to the drug trade.
“CHR welcomes the progress on the case as it demonstrates the commitment of the judiciary to the rule of law and justice,” said the commission on Saturday.
“In light of this development that upholds the innocence of former Senator de Lima on two out of three drug cases, the Commission equally hopes for the swift decision of the Court on the application of bail on her remaining case,” it added.
Full Story at: CHR hopes for swift decision on De Lima’s bail application after 2nd acquittal | Philstar.com
NPC probes possible data breach after GCash glitch | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — The National Privacy Commission (NPC) formally launched an investigation into possible data breach after customers of e-wallet giant GCash suffered unauthorized deductions in their personal accounts on May 8.
The data privacy watchdog said in a statement Friday that it has been closely monitoring the incident to determine if the database of GCash clients has been compromised.
Last Wednesday, NPC sent a Notice to Explain to G-Xchange Inc. (GXI), the company managing GCash, following the reports of unauthorized transactions from user accounts.
A clarificatory meeting was also held on Friday, which allowed GCash to provide information about its investigations and the measures taken to address the incident.
Full Story at: NPC probes possible data breach after GCash glitch | Philstar.com
