News Roundup 22 January 2024
Jan 22, 2024 • 4 min Read
Romualdez sidesteps allegation he ordered People’s Initiative signature drive | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — House Speaker Martin Romualdez has shrugged off a senator’s allegation that he ordered lawmakers to gather signatures for the campaign to amend the 1987 Constitution via People’s Initiative.
Without outright denying Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa’s accusation, Romualdez said: “That’s Senator Bato talking. I don’t know what he is talking about. He has not mentioned any congressman. I do not respond to general statements.”
Romualdez gave this curt response during an ambush interview at the sidelines of a House event on Monday.
During a press conference on the same day, Dela Rosa, who is against the People’s Initiative, said Romualdez gave marching orders for House lawmakers to collect signatures for the People’s Initiative campaign.
The senator said: “Yun sabi sakin ng congressman eh. Pero di ko na sabihin sino. Baka pagalitan sya. (That’s what a congressman told me. But I won’t say who. He might be reprimanded).”
“Following orders lang daw sila (They’re just following orders),” Dela Rosa said.
Several minority House lawmakers first flagged the People’s Initiative campaign in early January after they received reports that local executives were being mobilized to distribute the petition forms and pay people to sign them.
Full Story at: Romualdez sidesteps allegation he ordered People’s Initiative signature drive | Philstar.com
Rights groups score gov’t for ‘whitewashing’ abuses ahead of UN rapporteur visit | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — Rights defenders have challenged the government to go beyond welcoming the visit of United Nations Special Rapporteur Irene Khan by acting on past recommendations from international experts to end the practice of red-tagging and other acts infringing upon free speech.
Human rights groups Karapatan and Katribu Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas criticized the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) for touting Khan’s visit as a sign of the country’s “open, sustained, and sincere cooperation” with international partners, deeming it “insincere” and “fake” in separate statements.
Teachers’ group Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) has also called out the government for using Khan’s visit to “whitewash” human rights violations.
The DFA earlier said that Khan’s visit will give the Philippines an opportunity to demonstrate its “flourishing democracy … as seen in the vibrant media landscape and civic space,” adding that the UN rapporteur will see the government’s “respect to the promotion and protection of freedom of speech and expression.
Karapatan said on Sunday that even as the government has publicly welcomed the visit of the UN rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, it has also “disregarded, shrugged off, and rejected” previous findings by UN special rapporteurs on the country’s human rights situation.
Full Story at: Rights groups score gov’t for ‘whitewashing’ abuses ahead of UN rapporteur visit | Philstar.com
Roque to be lead counsel of Rodrigo Duterte, ‘Bato’ in possible ICC probe | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — Former presidential spokesperson and lawyer Harry Roque will serve as Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa and former President Rodrigo Duterte’s lead counsel should International Criminal Court (ICC) investigators start its probe into the previous administration’s bloody war on drugs.
Dela Rosa confirmed the matter to reporters in a press conference on Monday.
“Si Harry Roque ang aming lead counsel… nandyan si Harry Roque. Siya ang para sa aming dalawa ni [former] President Rodrigo Duterte — siya ang magrerepresent sa amin,” said Dela Rosa.
(Harry Roque will be our lead counsel. Harry Roque represent me and former president Rodrigo Duterte.)
Dela Rosa confirmed that he already talked to Roque about circulating reports that ICC investigators are already in the country.
Full Story at: Roque to be lead counsel of Rodrigo Duterte, ‘Bato’ in possible ICC probe | Inquirer News
ICC in PH last Dec; arrest order vs Duterte soon – Trillanes | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — Investigators from the International Criminal Court (ICC) were able to gather enough evidence against former President Rodrigo Duterte when they visited the country in December, and a warrant of arrest may be issued “very, very soon,” former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV said on Sunday.
“Based on my information, the ICC [investigators] have done what they needed to do in their initial investigation inside the country as far as the principal accused are concerned,” Trillanes told the Inquirer in a text message.
He gave the same information during a media forum earlier in the day, citing what he called “inside information.”
“If they will come back, this will be for the purpose of obtaining enough evidence for the secondary level of accused or respondents,” Trillanes added.
“For the primary respondents of the case, I believe they already have what they need. What we are waiting for right now is the warrant of arrest, which may come very, very soon,” he said, adding that this could be “within the first half of the year.”
Full Story at: Trillanes: ICC in PH last Dec; arrest order vs Duterte soon (inquirer.net)
