News Roundup 23 November 2022
Nov 23, 2022 • 4 min Read
Bantag lawyer claims ‘fatal’ flaw in subpoena for Percy Lapid probe | PHILSTAR.COM – The lawyer of suspended Bureau of Corrections Director General Gerald Bantag, who is accused of masterminding the killing of broadcaster Percy Lapid, claimed that the subpoena issued to his client had a “fatal” flaw, one which prosecutors said was addressed during a hearing on Wednesday. Bantag’s lawyer, Rocky Balisong, said the subpoena that prosecutors issued for the embattled corrections chief had the wrong middle name — Soriano instead of Quitaleg. “That is fatal because it refers to two different individuals. Definitely, Gerald Bantag y Soriano is not our client, it is Gerald Bantag y Quitaleg,” Balisong said. According to Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Charlie Guhit, Balisong raised this during the hearing for the preliminary probe on the killing of Lapid and the alleged middleman in his fatal ambush, New Bilibid Prison inmate Jun Villamor. “This issue was addressed by the panel during the hearing. Also, another subpoena was issued by the Panel and was accordingly received by Atty. Balisong,” Guhit said. Meanwhile, lawyers for inmates involved in the case said that their clients will either re-affirm their affidavits or submit counter-affidavits in the next hearing on December 5, according to Guhit. Guhit also said that the National Bureau of Investigation will be filing additional evidence. The prosecution panel directed the NBI to give all respondents copies of the supplemental evidence five days before the next hearing. BuCor deputy security officer Ricardo Zulueta, supposedly the Bantag’s right-hand man, and brothers Edmon Dimaculangan and Israel Dimaculangan, who are also allegedly involved in the killing of Lapid, did not attend the hearing.
Magna Carta for informal workers pushed anew in House | INQUIRER.NET – A Magna Carta for informal workers is being anew pushed in the House of Representatives, as it intends to identify who are informal workers and provide them more legal rights, said a lawmaker on Wednesday. House Bill 347, or the Magna Carta for workers in the informal economy (Macwie) was introduced to the 19th Congress by Santa Rosa City District Representative Dan Fernandez, but versions of the bill were previously filed. During a hearing by the Committee on Labor and Employment, Fernandez stressed the importance of Macwie. To illustrate the need for the bill, Fernandez cited the chaotic distribution of aid or “ayuda” at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Some officials explained that the assistance was meant for families of workers in the informal sectors. However, chaos happened because there was no legal definition of who these workers were. We could have presented most, if not all of the problems, if Macwie was already a law, as it clearly defines who the workers in the informal economy are,” said Fernandez. Macwie defined the informal economy as “all economic activities by workers and economic units that are, in law or in practice, not covered or insufficiently covered by formal engagements”. Fernandez further described the informal economy as “the catch basin for those who lose their formal employment.”
Harris: US stands with PH vs coercion in South China Sea | INQUIRER.NET – US Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday afternoon visited this province closest to the West Philippine Sea, in a show of support for the Philippines’ assertion of sovereignty over its exclusive economic zone, amid Beijing’s occupation of several areas within the country’s waters. Palawan was Harris’ last stop during her three-day visit to the country before she left this provincial capital around 4 p.m. on her way back to the United States. The US Embassy in Manila said she left Yokota Air Force Base on board a flight to Los Angeles late Tuesday afternoon. Harris arrived at the Puerto Princesa City airport on board a US aircraft at 12:05 p.m. From there, she went to Barangay Tagburos to meet with the fisherfolk community, then met with other residents before she boarded the Philippine Coast Guard’s BRP Teresa Magbanua to address her audience of provincial and military officials, Coast Guard personnel, and the media. Harris said from the ship’s deck, “Here in the South China Sea and around the world, to uphold the international rules and laws in South China Sea is to support the lives through the region.” She added: “As an ally, the United States stands with the Philippines in the face of intimidation and coercion in the South China Sea, [and] we support the 2016 ruling of the UN (United Nations) arbitral tribunal which delivered a unanimous and final decision formally rejecting China’s expansive South China Sea maritime claims.” “The [Hague] tribunal’s decision is legally binding, and must be respected,” the US vice president said further. “We will continue [to support] our allies and partners against unlawful and irresponsible behavior.”
