News Roundup 23 August 2024
Aug 23, 2024 • 5 min Read
Supreme Court to PAGCOR, PCSO: Remit funds to Philippine Sports Commission | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court ordered gaming regulator PAGCOR and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) to give a portion of their income to fund the Philippine Sports Commission.
The highest court of the land ruled on a petition for mandamus filed by former lawmaker Josseler Guiao in 2016, which would compel PAGCOR, PCSO and the Office of the President to remit funds to the PSC, as mandated by the Republic Act 6847 or the “The Philippine Sports Commission Act.”
In a decision released on Thursday evening, the high court ruled in favor of Guiao.
“The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation is ordered to account and remit the full amount of 5% of its gross income per annum, after deduction of its 5% franchise tax, from 1993 to present in favor of the Philippine Sports Commission,” the decision penned by Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen read.
“Respondent Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office is ordered to account and remit to the Philippine Sports Commission the 30% representing the charity fund of the proceeds of six sweepstakes or lottery draw per annum, including its lotto draws, for the years 2006 to present,” the decision added.
What went before
Guiao accused PAGCOR of not complying with the law’s funding requirements. Section 26 states that a portion of the PCSO’s draws, as well as the PAGCOR’s income, would go to supporting athletes in international competitions like the Asian Games, the Southeast Asian Games and the Olympics.
Full Story at: Supreme Court to PAGCOR, PCSO: Remit funds to Philippine Sports Commission | Philstar.com
Shiela Guo, sister of ousted Bamban mayor, is a Chinese national — NBI | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines (Updated 4:34 p.m.) — Shiela Leal Guo, the sister of dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo, has been confirmed as a Chinese national, according to National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Jaime Santiago on Friday.
Shiela Leal Guo, along with Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) incorporator Cassandra Li Ong, was detained by Indonesian authorities and returned to the Philippines on Thursday. However, the elusive Alice Guo remains at large.
Santiago said that Shiela Leal Guo’s fingerprints match those of a certain Zhang Mier.
“Comparative fingerprint analysis shows that the Chinese national Zhang Mier and Shiela L. Guo are one and the same person. So, we can conclude that Shiela L. Guo, who is currently in our custody, is indeed Chinese,” Santiago said in a press briefing.
Santiago also mentioned that Shiela Leal Guo will be charged with violating the Philippine Passport Act. The NBI will file additional charges for immigration violations, as she misrepresented herself as a Filipino citizen and fraudulently acquired a Philippine passport. Shiela Guo also holds a Chinese passport.
On the other hand, Cassandra Li Ong possesses a Philippine passport and therefore has not been charged yet. The Department of Justice declined to comment on other possible charges.
Ong and Shiela Guo are currently in the custody of the NBI.
Full Story at: Shiela Guo, sister of ousted Bamban mayor, is a Chinese national — NBI | Philstar.com
‘Betrayal’ led inmates Tan, Magdadaro to testify vs Duterte – solon | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — Why did inmates Leopoldo Tan and Fernando Magdadaro come out in the open to testify against former President Rodrigo Duterte and expose his alleged order to kill Chinese nationals in 2016? It’s simply because they felt betrayed, at least according to Sta. Rosa City Rep. Dan Fernandez.
In a virtual presser on Friday, Fernandez addressed former presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo’s claims that “enemies” are now using convicted felons to carry out what he called a “demolition job” against Duterte.
Tan and Magdadaro are detained for killing three Chinese nationals inside the Davao Penal and Prison Farm. They were invited to the lower chamber’s quad-committee hearing on Thursday where they exposed Duterte’s alleged hit order.
For his part, Fernandez believes Tan and Magdadaro were motivated to speak up due to feeling “betrayed.”
Tan earlier said they were promised money — specifically P1 million each for him and Magdadaro for every Chinese national killed — and freedom.
“Ang nangyari, hindi sila tumupad doon sa pangako, binukulan pa siguro, imbes na tatlo milyong, ginawa lang dalawang milyon,” said Fernandez.
(What happened is that the promises to them were not fulfilled. Instead of P3 million, they were only given P2 million.)
Full Story at: ‘Betrayal’ led inmates Tan, Magdadaro to testify vs Duterte – solon (inquirer.net)
Amid textbook lack, P10 million for Sara Duterte book tagged ironic | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — Ironic.
This was how Jonathan Geronimo, vice chairperson of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), described the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) request for P10 million to print 200,000 copies of Vice President Sara Duterte’s book, Isang Kaibigan (A friend).
As Duterte herself pointed out, the book, which she self-authored, stresses on the value of friendship, of not abandoning friends.
It seeks to impart this lesson through the story of Kwago (Owl), whose home was destroyed by a storm and Loro (Parrot) who came to help Kwago and offered shelter.
Owls in real life do not build homes but settle on trees unlike Duterte’s fictional character.
But while the OVP defended the book, saying that it would encourage reading, Geronimo asked if it is really necessary, especially since most students in public schools do not have a complete set of textbooks and that some do not even have a single textbook at all.
As the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) revealed, since the K-to-12 curriculum was introduced in 2013, only 27 textbook titles have been procured by the Department of Education (DepEd) out of the 90 required for Grades 1 to 10, with only Grades 5 and 6 having a complete set of textbooks.
Duterte was head of the DepEd for almost two years.
Full Story at: Amid textbook lack, P10 million for Sara Duterte book tagged ironic | Inquirer News
