News Roundup 22 May 2023
May 22, 2023 • 5 min Read
Sandiganbayan clears Napoles in set of graft cases, convicts her in another | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — The Sandiganbayan has found plunder convict Janet Lim Napoles not guilty of graft in 16 cases related to Priority Development Assistance Fund projects of Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., who himself was acquitted of plunder in 2021.
In a ruling by a separate anti-graft court division, Napoles was found guilty on two counts of graft and two counts of malversation in another PDAF scam case, this time involving a Davao del Sur lawmaker.
Despite the recent acquittal, Napoles will remain in detention.
The Sandiganbayan First Division acquitted Napoles as it held that the alleged acts in the case “are predicate crimes of Plunder” in a case already ruled on by the court. In the said case, Napoles was found guilty and convicted of Plunder.
‘Essentially the same case’
The Sandiganbayan said that the acts imputed to Revilla, erstwhile chief of staff Richard Cambe, Napoles and others in the plunder case and this graft case are the same. Evidence presented by the prosecution in both trials were also essentially the same.
Cambe has since died in government custody.
The court stressed that the “crux or central issue” of plunder is “the combination or series of overt or criminal acts” or predicate acts—these include malversation, bribery and violations of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
Full Story at: Sandiganbayan clears Napoles in set of graft cases, convicts her in another | Philstar.com
CHR supports bill expanding Anti-VAWC to cover online abuses | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA. Philippines — Recognizing rapidly changing technologies and how these may cause harm to other people, the Commission on Human Rights backed a bill that aims to expand the current Anti-Violence against Women and their Children Act to cover online abuses.
In a statement on Monday, the CHR pointed out that “protecting human rights necessitates legislative adaptations to technological and online developments.”
“In a space saturated with unfiltered online content, anonymity, unmoderated social interactions, and clout-chasing trends, which harmful entities can use to exploit unsuspecting victims, [House Bill 8009] provides legal protection that is relevant and responsive in today’s digital age,” it added.
HB 8009 or the Expanded Anti-VAWC Act, which adds provisions specific to online harassment and violence, hurdled second reading at the House of Representative last week. It is a consolidated version of E-VAWC measures that the women and gender committee at the lower house greenlighted in February.
The proposed bill hopes to protect women and children from being recorded unknowingly showing sexual conduct or expressions as well as “any purported violent and errant behavior” and having these materials distributed online.
Full Story at: CHR supports bill expanding Anti-VAWC to cover online abuses | Philstar.com
Breakthrough seen in MUP pension reform | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Jinggoy Estrada on Sunday said the Armed Forces of the Philippines was supportive of the proposal to collect contributions from military and other uniformed personnel (MUP) for their pension fund, which President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. warned would soon be depleted.
This signals a breakthrough in the tricky issue of reforming the MUP pension system, which is fully funded by the yearly national government budget with no contributions from uniformed personnel, unlike the Social Security System and the Government Service Insurance System which are financed in part by workers’ contributions.
National Treasurer Rosalia de Leon had earlier said that the funding requirement to pay for MUP pensions has been growing at a “fiscally unsustainable rate,” since the unfunded liabilities were already estimated at P9.6 trillion as of 2020.
The executive branch is proposing that the MUP pension system reforms cover both active personnel and new entrants, with all of them making contributions for their pension—a move opposed by uniformed personnel who argued that the new pension system should be applied only to new entrants.
At a Senate hearing last week, Undersecretary Carlito Galvez Jr., the officer in charge of the Department of National Defense, warned that up to 80 percent of military servicemen were looking at availing themselves of optional retirement to lock in their benefits before the government revises their pension system.
Full Story at: Breakthrough seen in MUP pension reform | Inquirer News
LTO sets maximum medical examination fee at P300 | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — The Land Transportation Office (LTO) on Monday announced that it had lowered to P300 the maximum fee for medical examinations required for student permit and driver’s license applicants.
In a statement, the LTO said the policy was based on recommendations of its committee which conducted studies and a series of consultations to determine the most reasonable fee for accredited health facilities.
“Hindi po natin maisasantabi ang maraming reklamo kaugnay ng sobrang mahal ng pagkuha ng medical certificate na ang iba ay nagbabayad ng P500 hanggang P700. Mabigat na ang halaga na ito para sa ating mga ordinaryong mamamayan,” LTO chief Assistant Secretary Jose Arturo Tugade said.
(We cannot ignore the many complaints related to the high cost of obtaining a medical certificate that others pay P500 to P700. This cost is too much to ordinary people.)
Based on LTO memorandum circular 2023-2397 signed by Tugade, the new maximum fee applies to all LTO-accredited medical facilities where physicians conduct medical, physical, optical, and other examinations required for student driver’s permits, new non-professional driver’s licenses and new conductor’s licenses, as well as renewals and upgrades from non-professional to professional driver’s licenses.
Full Story at: LTO sets maximum medical examination fee at P300 | Inquirer News
