News Roundup 20 April 2024
Apr 20, 2024 • 4 min Read
Solon to VP Duterte: Show some decency by resigning from DepEd | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — A lawmaker has urged Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte to resign from her post as the chief of the Department of Education (DepEd).
In a statement on Friday evening, Manila 3rd District Representative Joel Chua asserted that “it is time for accountability for VP Sara Duterte and the Duterte family.”
“The Vice President should show some decency by resigning from her DepEd post at the very least. Her family unleashed a barrage of insults and attacks directly to the President and yet she does nothing and is still enjoying the perks of being part of the official family,” the statement read.
Chua then urged Duterte to “draw the line” rather than “pretending” to be a full partner of Marcos.
“She cannot have the best of both worlds by being a fence sitter while her family and their allies challenge the authority and mandate of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr while having little to show for in terms of substantive results at the Department of Education, where she is Secretary,” it added.
Furthermore, the lawmaker criticized Duterte for being “woefully silent” while the country’s sovereignty in the disputed West Philippine Sea and exclusive economic zone have been challenged with ship blockades and aggressive maneuvers from China.
Full Story at: Solon to VP Duterte: Show some decency by resigning from DepEd (inquirer.net)
Tuguegarao mayor says foreign students have nothing to do with Edca | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — Tuguegarao Mayor Maila Ting-Que defended the presence of foreign students in Cagayan province, saying they have nothing to do with the country’s military pact with the US.
Ting-Que said in a forum on Saturday that foreign students were already present in Cagayan even before the announcement that a site under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Arrangement (Edca) will be built in the province.
She said schools in Cagayan have started internationalization and globalization since some of them were already on par with global higher education institutes.
“A lot of our schools have started [what the CHEd (Commission on Higher Education) did] with them, [the] internationalization and globalization, there were marching orders actually to have these schools be offered abroad [because] we are [on] par with other universities in Manila, we are [on] par with other universities internationally,” Ting-Que said during the Pandesal forum in Quezon City.
The mayor issued the remarks following claims of an influx of Chinese students to Cagayan. The controversy prompted calls for investigations – specifically for CHEd to verify reports that Chinese students were paying as high as P2 million to get their degrees even without attending classes.
Full Story at: Tuguegarao mayor: Foreign students have nothing to do with Edca (inquirer.net)
Admin critics urged: Spare armed services from politics amid withdrawal calls for Marcos | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — National Security Adviser (NSA) Eduardo Año called on administration detractors to keep the armed services out of political maneuvering after a lawmaker urged the military to withdraw its support for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The statement followed remarks by former Speaker and Davao del Norte 1st District Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez, who urged the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to withdraw support for the current administration in an attempt to force the chief executive to resign.
During a news forum in Quezon City on Saturday, Año’s spokesperson and National Security Council Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya explained the importance of maintaining neutrality in the AFP and the Philippine National Police (PNP) within a democratic framework.
“Huwag po natin silang gagamitin because in any democracy, the Armed Forces is supposed to be neutral and apolitical – kahit po sino magpalit-palit ng administrasyon,” Malaya said.
(We must refrain from exploiting the AFP and PNP for political purposes because, in any democracy, they are expected to remain neutral and apolitical – regardless of changes in administration.)
Full Story at: Admin critics urged: Spare armed services from politics amid withdrawal calls for Marcos | Philstar.com
‘Piston 6’ acquitted by Caloocan court | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — The six jeepney drivers who were arrested in 2020 for protesting against the government’s restrictions on their livelihood during the lockdown have been acquitted by the Caloocan Metropolitan Trial Court (MTC) Branch 83.
The Caloocan MTC, through Judge Marlo Bermejo Campanilla, granted the demurrer to evidence filed by the “Piston 6,” acquitting them of simple resistance and disobedience to authority, a charge under the Revised Penal Code.
Granting a demurrer to evidence is equivalent to an acquittal resulting from the court’s examination, which determines that there is insufficient evidence following the filing of a demurrer.
The six jeepney drivers are: Severino Ramos, Arsenio Ymas, Wilson Ramilla, Ramon Paloma, Ruben Baylon and Elmer Cordero.
It could be recalled that they were arrested in June 2020 while holding a peaceful protest in Caloocan City.
The drivers were protesting against what they perceived as unfair treatment by the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte towards jeepneys, which were not allowed to resume their previous routes due to safety and health concerns.
During this time, the government loosed the health restrictions under General Community Quarantine (GCQ).
Story at: ‘Piston 6’ acquitted by Caloocan court | Philstar.com
