News Roundup 18 February 2023
Feb 18, 2023 • 3 min Read
ICC prosecutor seeks dismissal of Manila’s appeal to suspend ‘drug war’ probe | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan has asked the tribunal’s Appeals Chamber to dismiss an application made by the Philippine government to again suspend the preliminary investigation into former President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody “war on drugs.”
“The Prosecution accordingly respectfully requests the Appeals Chamber to reject the Philippines’ request for suspensive effect of the Decision,” said Khan in a signed statement, Thursday (Netherlands time).
“The granting of suspensive effect leads to the ‘non-enforcement of a decision, the subject of the appeal’… If suspensive effect is granted, the Prosecution would be required to suspend its investigation pending the resolution of the Philippines’ appeal against the Decision,” he added.
Official figures from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency states that around 6,252 people died from anti-drug operations from July 2016 to May 2022. However, human rights organizations point to a much higher 30,000 casualties — some of them were believed to have been summarily killed.
Full Story at: ICC prosecutor seeks dismissal of Manila’s appeal to suspend ‘drug war’ probe | Philstar.com
Farmer group slams DA hybrid seed program | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — Farmer group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) on Saturday criticized the government’s shift towards the use of hybrid seeds over inbred seeds, saying that there were better ways for the country to achieve rice self-sufficiency.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. recently approved to adopt hybrid rice seeds, which the Department of Agriculture (DA) aims to plant over 1.5 million hectares of land.
“Kaiba sa certified seeds, ang hybrid rice seeds hindi na pwedeng i-binhi. Palaging bibili ang magsasaka. Ang kumpanya ng hybrid seeds ang may tiyak na kita dito,” said Rafael Mariano, chairman of KMP and former secretary of the Department of Agrarian Reform.
(Unlike certified seeds, hybrid rice seeds cannot be propagated. Farmers will always have to buy. The company of hybrid seeds will be the ones making profit.)
Marcos, also the DA chief, struck the deal with private research firm SL Agritech Corporation (SLAC) to convert target areas with certified seeds to hybrid seeds.
Full Story at: Farmer group slams DA hybrid seed program | Inquirer News
Hataman, CHR condemn Lanao del Sur guv’s ambush | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman denounced the gun attack on Lanao del Sur Gov. Mamintal Adiong Jr. on Saturday, calling it a “brazen act of violence.”
Adiong and two of his aides were hurt while four of his police escorts were killed in an ambush on Friday, February 17, near the boundary of Lanao del Sur and Bukidnon.
“Nakikiramay ako sa mga kaanak ng mga biktima ng pagpatay, at hangad natin ang mabilis na recovery ni Gov. Adiong at ng kanyang kasama,” Hataman said in a statement Saturday.
(I sympathize with the victims’ relatives and hope for the speedy recovery of Gov. Adiong and his companion.)
“This attack was a brazen act of violence, perpetrated against no less than the highest local executive official of the province of Lanao del Sur and his companions,” he added.
Similarly, Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Commissioner Faydah Dumarpa has condemned the incident and expressed hope the perpetrators will be brought to justice.
Full Story at: Hataman, CHR condemn Lanao del Sur guv’s ambush | Inquirer News
Oil price hike looms next week | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — An increase in the prices of petroleum products is expected next week, potentially putting an end to the rollbacks implemented in the past two weeks.
Cleanfuel said running trend as of yesterday showed a possible P0.70 per liter hike in gasoline prices and a P0.90 per liter increase for diesel.
“Based on the four days of trading in the international oil market, it appears that there is a looming increase in the prices of petroleum products like gasoline, diesel and kerosene,” Department of Energy (DOE) Oil Industry Management Bureau assistant director Rodela Romero said in an interview with dzBB yesterday.
Full Story at: Oil price hike looms next week | Philstar.com
