News Roundup 16 August 2024
Aug 16, 2024 • 5 min Read
Surprise House witness tags Paolo Duterte, 2 others in illegal drug smuggling | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines (Updated 6:18 p.m.) — Jimmy Guban, a former Customs officer who served as a key witness in a shabu smuggling controversy under former President Rodrigo Duterte, has resurfaced to confess that it was Rep. Paolo Duterte (First District, Davao City), Manases Carpio and Michael Yang who owned the magnetic lifters that were found to have concealed P11-billion worth of illegal drugs in 2018.
Guban told the House quad-committee on Friday during its first inquiry that he lied about the persons responsible for the illegal shipment of shabu during his testimony to the Senate in 2018 because of threats to his and his family’s life.
The embattled former Customers intelligence officer took back his testimony six years ago to implicate three people with ties to the former president: president’s eldest son, Vice President Sara Duterte’s husband, and the president’s former economic adviser.
Alongside his bombshell admission, Guban also recanted his statement accusing former police official Eduardo Acierto of owning the P11-billion shabu shipment during his trial for charges related to importing dangerous drugs. For this case, he was sentenced to life imprisonment last year.
All this was bared before the House mega-panel, which was created to fuse together the investigations being conducted by four House committees: dangerous drugs, public order & safety, human rights and public accounts.
How it all began
According to his affidavit submitted to the House panel on Friday, Guban recalled meeting a certain Davao First District Councilor Nilo Abillera Jr. called “Small” in 2017. This Davao councilor introduced himself to Guban as a “business partner and trusted associate of Michael Yang, Pulong Duterte… and Atty. Mans Carpio.”
Full Story at: Surprise House witness tags Paolo Duterte, 2 others in illegal drug smuggling | Philstar.com
AFP: 92 Chinese vessels spotted in West Philippine Sea in 6 days | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — A significant number of Chinese maritime vessels were spotted in the West Philippine Sea in six days, according to the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
The military’s data released on Tuesday said that there are a total of 92 Chinese maritime vessels spotted in different parts of the West Philippine Sea from August 6 to August 12.
The latest number of ships was lower than the 122 vessels recorded from July 30 to August 5.
The following are the number of vessels depending on their classification:
- Chinese Coast Guard: 13
- Peoples Liberation Army-Navy: 9
- Chinese Maritime Militia: 68
Two vessels are research ships. One research vessel, Ke Xue San Hao, has been tracked by the Philippine government as it repeatedly loitered the Sabina Shoal.
On Monday, retired US Air Force officer Ray Powell, director of maritime initiative SeaLight, said that China’s largest coast guard ship has left the Escoda Shoal.
However, it was replaced by another Coast Guard Vessel, which is stationed opposite the Philippine Coast Guard’s BRP Teresa Magbanua.
Full Story at: AFP: 92 Chinese vessels spotted in West Philippine Sea in 6 days | Philstar.com
Dela Rosa plans to seek SC clarificatory relief if ICC issues arrest warrant | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, who earlier said that he was unbothered by the looming International Criminal Court (ICC) ruling, said he would file for clarificatory relief before the Supreme Court (SC) should an arrest warrant against him come out.
Dela Rosa made the pronouncement in a virtual press conference on Friday after he was asked what legal recourse he would take if there were an arrest warrant from the ICC, specifically whether he would seek the SC’s help.
“Isa (One). That’s a remedy, we will seek for a clarificatory relief from the Supreme Court, and the Supreme Court ruling will be binding to everyone,” said dela Rosa.
According to the senator, he cannot seek a clarificatory relief before the issuance of a warrant; otherwise, the SC wouldn’t have anything to “clarify.”
“So hintayin natin na mag-labas ng warrant (Let’s wait for the warrant to be issued) then we will seek for a clarificatory relief from the Supreme Court,” he said, adding that once a clarificatory relief has been filed, the ICC would not be able to implement its warrant.
Talks about ICC warrants have resurfaced after retired Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio said on Tuesday night that the investigation of the ICC prosecutor into the brutal campaign against illegal drugs had reached a pivotal point.
Full Story at: Dela Rosa plans to seek SC relief if ICC issues arrest warrant (inquirer.net)
Names dropped by ex-BOC exec invited to next quad-comm hearing | INQUIRER.NET – BACOLOR, Pampanga — Names dropped by former Bureau of Customs (BOC) intelligence officer Jimmy Guban — including personalities linked to former president Rodrigo Duterte — have been invited to the next House of Representatives quad-committee hearing.
At the tail end of the hearing here on Friday, House committee on human rights chairperson and Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. moved to invite the following:
- Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo Duterte
- Lawyer Manases Carpio
- Former Davao councilor Nilo Abellera Jr.
- Former Environment undersecretary Benny Antiporda
- Paul Gutierrez
“I also would like to make a motion that those names mentioned by Mr. Jimmy Guban be invited in the next hearing, Mr. Chair. That would be Small Abellera […] Congressman Pulong Duterte, Atty. Mans Carpio, Benny Antiporda, Paul Gutierrez, and almost all the names mentioned by Mr. Jimmy Guban,” Abante said.
1-Rider party-list Rep. Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez meanwhile asked that a certain Ernan Abario which Guban also mentioned in his affidavit be included among the individuals to be invited.
Full Story at: Names dropped by ex-BOC exec invited to quad-comm hearing (inquirer.net)
