News Roundup 17 January 2024
Jan 17, 2024 • 4 min Read
‘All about greed’: Motives of Cha-cha proponents questioned | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — Minority lawmakers have raised concerns about the true intentions of those behind the campaign to change the 1987 Constitution, questioning both the timing and legitimacy of the push to liberalize economic provisions of the Charter that were crafted precisely to protect the nation’s interests.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros has flagged the reported “People’s Initiative” being carried out across several provinces — which have been marred by allegations of vote-buying — and raised doubts over the origins of the signature drive.
Meanwhile, House Deputy Minority Leader Rep. France Castro (ACT Teachers) has questioned the need for Charter change at all and warned that the proposed economic tweaks could serve as a pretext for political amendments.
“It’s not right to call the petition a ‘People’s Initiative’ because this did not come from the people themselves,” Hontiveros said in Filipino.
“This well-funded, well-oiled campaign is not about the people – it is all about greed and the desire to act with zero accountability to the nation,” Hontiveros added.
The senator also criticized the actual demand of the People’s Initiative campaign, which is for both chambers of Congress to “vote jointly” during a Constituent Assembly, which would give the House an upper hand in the voting process as they outnumber the 24-member Senate.
Full Story at: ‘All about greed’: Motives of Cha-cha proponents questioned | Philstar.com
After pressure from solons, coffee chain apologizes for limiting senior citizen and PWD discounts | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — The company that owns the rights to operate Starbucks in the Philippines has apologized for their recently viral signage limiting the 20% discount for senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs) to only one food item and one drink per visit.
This comes after a representative of Starbucks Philippines was summoned to an inquiry by the House of Representatives on Wednesday regarding the application of government-mandated discounts for senior citizens and PWDs.
House Speaker Martin Romualdez said in a statement that he ordered the inquiry after his office received complaints about some establishments’ failure to comply with the law, including Starbucks.
The House ways and means committee hearing also surfaced complaints that some establishments reportedly refuse to honor the 20% discount for various reasons, including the availability of ongoing promos. Some local governments also reportedly require senior citizens to register as voters before they can avail of the discount.
Starbucks Philippines Operations Manager Angela Cole said during the hearing that the company acknowledges the “error in the signage” — which was put up in all Starbucks branches — and said that it was “not properly worded.”
“We are taking full accountability and acknowledge the mistake. We are disappointed at the confusion we caused because of the erroneous signage,” Cole said.
Cole said that Starbucks “will continue to extend full discount privileges to senior citizens (and PWDs) for their personal use and enjoyment.”
Full Story at: After pressure from solons, coffee chain apologizes for limiting senior citizen and PWD discounts | Philstar.com
Angara, not Padilla, to preside when Senate tackles Charter change | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara on Tuesday confirmed that he would head a Senate subcommittee to tackle the chamber’s proposed resolution amending specific economic provisions of the Constitution.
He takes over the role of Sen. Robinhood Padilla, the Senate’s persistent Charter change (Cha-cha) advocate. He has also been pushing for longer terms for the president and other elected officials.
Angara said most senators agreed that a lawyer like him should lead the proceedings since the matter to be tackled under Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 6 is revising the country’s basic law.
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri filed the resolution on Monday, which Angara and Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda co-authored.
Padilla’s proposal
However, according to Angara, the subcommittee would still have to enlist the support of Padilla since he heads the Senate committee on constitutional amendments and code revision.
“The report of the subcommittee will have to be approved by [Padilla] as committee chair,” Angara said.
Full Story at: Angara, not Padilla, to preside when Senate tackles Cha-cha (inquirer.net)
Nato needs ‘warfighting transformation,’ top military exec says | INQUIRER.NET – BRUSSELS — A top Nato military official called on public and private actors in the West on Wednesday to prepare for an era in which anything could happen at any time, including fighting a war.
“We need a warfighting transformation of Nato,” the chief of the alliance’s Military Committee, Dutch Admiral Rob Bauer, said as he opened a two-day meeting of national defense chiefs in Brussels.
He noted that in the past, Nato governments and companies lived in an era in which everything was plentiful, foreseeable, controllable, and focused on efficiency.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, they should adjust their thinking to “an era in which anything can happen at any time, an era in which we need to expect the unexpected, an era in which we need to focus on effectiveness in order to be fully effective”, he said.
Full Story at: Nato needs ‘warfighting transformation,’ top military exec says (inquirer.net)
