SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea has broken its silence on the diplomatic thaw with Washington and Seoul, saying it is driving the "peace offensive" and rejecting suggestions that sanctions forced it to the negotiating table.

The commentary from the state-run KCNA news agency came with a rapid rapprochement on the Korean peninsula under way, after a period of heightened tensions stoked by missile and nuclear tests.

But as diplomats scurry to arrange two proposed summits – North-South talks followed by a face-to-face meet between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un– the North's silence had raised concerns over its intentions.

The KCNA commentary late Tuesday, March 20, did not directly mention the summits but noted the "dramatic atmosphere for reconciliation" with the South and "a sign of change" with the US.

It said Pyongyang's overtures came from a position of strength, not from weakness, even as it confronts intense international pressure as well as biting economic sanctions over its nuclear weapons program.

"The dialogue peace offensive of the DPRK is an expression of self-confidence as it has acquired everything it desires," it said, using the North's official name.

It also slammed hawks in Washington, Seoul and Tokyo for questioning the sincerity and motivation behind the North's willingness to step back from the brink.

"Such rubbish as 'result of sanctions and pressure'... spread by hostile forces is just as meaningless as a dog barking at the moon," it said, urging "prudence" for all parties involved.

"It is really an expression of small-mindedness for the riff-raffs to spoil the atmosphere and say this or that even before the parties concerned are given a chance to study the inner thoughts of the other side and are seated at a negotiating table," it said in typically colorful language.

'Carefully watching'

Since floating the idea for a summit with the US, "the North has been carefully watching how the situation is developing, including the US-South Korea joint military drills, before making it public to the people", Professor Kim Yong-hyun at Dongguk University told Agence France-Presse.

The South and the US announced Tuesday a plan to resume annual joint military exercises on April 1, with its main drill shortened by a month – in an apparent conciliatory gesture over an event that infuriates the North.

Professor Yang Moo-jin of the University of North Korean Studies said the North also needs time to prepare its people for a drastic policy turnaround toward the United States.

"The North won't confirm the two summits until dates and venues are fixed and it needs to educate its people through party cells slowly for a policy U-turn", Yang said.

The North's state media has not reported any public activities by Kim since March 6, when it said he held talks with South Korean envoys.

Kim learned of South Korean President Moon Jae-in's intention for an inter-Korean summit from the envoys, exchanged views and made a "satisfactory agreement," the North's KCNA said at that time.

Trump's announcement earlier this month that he was willing to meet with the North's young leader – after an invitation conveyed by envoys from the South – has triggered a flurry of diplomatic activity.

The North's foreign minister Ri Yong Ho met his counterpart from Sweden, which represents Washington's interests in North Korea, in Stockholm over the weekend, with reports saying they discussed the release of 3 Americans detained in the North.

Choe Kang Il, a senior Pyongyang diplomat handling ties with the US, is currently in Finland for discussions with the retired former US ambassador to Seoul, Kathleen Stephens.

Moon on Wednesday, March 21, said a 3-way summit including the two Koreas and the US could be possible, depending on the outcomes of the inter-Korean and US-North Korean summits.

"We must completely resolve the issues of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and establishing peace", he said. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III sternly warned 4 hospitals in Cavite that reportedly refused to treat a child who received the Dengvaxia dengue vaccine.

The DOH chief himself will visit the following hospitals on Wednesday afternoon, March 21 to determine why they did not treat the child:

• General Emilio Aguinaldo Memorial Hospital
• Gentri Doctors Hospital and Medical Center
• Pagamutan ng Dasmariñas
• De La Salle University Medical Center 

"I'm going there to personally warn them, if not file a case against them. 'Di puwede ‘yon (What they did was unacceptable)," said a stony-faced Duque on the sidelines of the turnover to the DOH of tuberculosis technical assistance packages by the United States Agency for International Development, and the Philippine Business for Social Progress.

Duque said the hospitals did not attend to the child's medical needs even after public and private hospitals committed to set up dengue fast lanes that will prioritize the treatment of symptoms exhibited by vaccinated children.

Duque said he may file a case against the hospitals if their explanation for refusing to treat the child is unsatisfactory.

The kid's specific sickness, however, remains unclear as of posting time. (READ: What to do if your child received dengue vaccine) 

According to Duque, it is against the law for hospitals to demand deposits from patients in emergency situations. (READ: Hospitals demanding deposits in emergencies face stiffer penalties)

"You're not supposed to be asking for deposits. That's in the warranties of the PhilHealth (Philippine Health Insurance Corporation) accreditation," Duque said.

He added: “You're not supposed to reject emergency cases. No matter how full your hospital is, you have to accept and stabilize the patient before you can transfer them to another hospital that has the space or the accommodations."

Duque immediately suspended the school-based dengue immunization program after risks of Sanofi Pasteur's Dengvaxia dengue vaccine were revealed in November 2017. (READ: TIMELINE: Dengue immunization program for public school students)

The DOH is now conducting a 5-year heightened health surveillance of all the vaccinated children. Duque has also been busy holding dialogues with parents of the vaccinated children, as well as inspecting the services of dengue fast lanes in hospitals nationwide. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III refuted the report of a group of Filipino scientists that there is a new strain of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the country.

"That is fake news. 'Wag po sana tayo maging simula ng mga ganoong balita kasi 'di naman po ito batay sa ebidensya (Don't be the source of this kind of news because this is not based on evidence)," said Duque in a chance interview in Pasay City on Wednesday, March 21.  

Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology director Dr Edsel Salvana of the University of the Philippines' National Institutes of Health warned the public last week against the alleged aggressive HIV AE subtype.

Salvana said the new drug-resistant HIV subtype could worsen the epidemic in the country.

Duque, however, said the DOH has not received any information from the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding the supposed HIV strain's presence in the country.

"I'm sure if there was a strain, a new strain, we would've been informed by the WHO and other authorities in HIV-AIDS. So wala po kaming gano'ng natatanggap na tamang impormasyon tungkol diyan (So we haven't received any verified information regarding that)," he said. 

The Philippines has the "fastest growing" HIV epidemic in the Asia Pacific. (READ: On World AIDS Day, Duque urges public to break stigma on HIV)

Duque said the DOH recorded a total of 46,985 HIV positive cases from January 1984 to August 2017. – Rappler.com

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – A parent pulled a gun on a professor at the Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) as he complained about his child's low grades on Tuesday, March 20.

Judith Dalagan, AdDU Faculty Union president and OIC director of the AdDU Language Center, confirmed the incident to Rappler on Wednesday, March 21.

She said the union is still deciding on what actions to take following the incident which took place on inside the AdDU Jacinto campus where classes of senior highschool, college, and graduate students are held.

News of the incident broke late Tuesday night, when AdDU professor John Harvey Gamas took to Twitter to condemn the threat made by the father of a college student against his colleague. He later deleted the tweet but he made the same  public post on Facebook that same day.

"Parents should never verbally abuse nor threaten teachers especially with a gun. We are willing to die for the grades we give our students! #JUSTICEforTEACHERS," Gamas said.

The university has yet to issue an official statement, and the names of the people involved have not been released. AdDU president Fr Joel Tabora has yet to respond to requests for comment on the incident, as of posting.

Faculty members who asked not to be named wondered how the parent was able to enter the campus with a firearm, especially as campus security had been tightened due to several incidents over the last two years.

In September 2016, the Davao City night market was bombed, killing 14 people and injuring many others. Two of those hurt were AdDU students. (READ: Explosion hits Davao night market)

In September last year, the school suspended classes over a bomb scare. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Wednesday, March 21, filed a plunder complaint against former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) secretary Rogelio Singson over the P255-million right of way scam.

It is part of an alleged P8-billion scam that involved fake compensation claims on lands used for government projects.

Thirty-three other former and current DPWH officials face the plunder complaint, on top of a graft complaint. The current officials also face the administrative charge of grave misconduct.

Former budget secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad was not included in the first batch of complaints, but he had been tagged earlier as being allegedly part of the scam by Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II.

What’s the scam all about? A witness named Roberto Catapang came forward to say he used to work for a syndicate group that works with DPWH officials in filing for bogus claims in right-of-way projects.

The syndicate leader was identified as a certain Wilma Mamburam.

The NBI said they were initially looking at 50 titles but as of now, only 9 titles have been found to be spurious or fake. This amounts to P255 million worth of compensation which has been released.

Not only were the documents fake, Catapang said the claimants were also fake.

The claims in this complaint are from General Santos City affected by the construction of the Digos-Makar-Buayan National Road.

The NBI said the Office of the Register of Deeds of General Santos certified just last March 16 that the transfers of titles – which would lawfully transfer ownership to the government – of the 9 claims were not processed “and [they do] not exist in the record and the vault of the Registry of Deeds.”

How are Singson and the DPWH involved? The NBI has a letter from Singson to Abad on December 23, 2013, “requesting for the release of funds for the payment of the outstanding claims.” That letter involves the P255-million worth of claims.

“Abad granted the above-mentioned fund requested by Singson. The said amount was used to fund the 4th payments of the 9 claims being investigated. In March 2015, all 9 claims were fully paid,” the NBI said in its transmittal letter to the Office of the Ombudsman.

The NBI also cited a September 30, 2013 letter by Singson to the Land Registration Authority (LRA) requesting that a certification be issued to declare the titles genuine. There was a reply from LRA Computer Division Chief Ser John Pastrana certifying the titles as genuine.

However, Pastrana told the NBI this March that he never issued such a certification.

The NBI said that before the government pays compensation to claimants, it should make sure the deed of sale had been registered with the registry of deeds and the transfers of title already made in favor of the government.

“It appears from the investigation conducted that the foregoing procedures/requirements to safeguard the government from suffering undue injury had been blatantly disregarded by the government,” the NBI said.

Where is the money trail? Plunder as a law requires proof that at least P50 million was amassed as ill-gotten wealth.

In the pork barrel scam plunder trial, financial trail, bank evidence and testimonies of bank officials are the smoking guns of the prosecutors in trying to prove that the lawmakers pocketed the money.

“Wala pa tayong direct evidence na ganyan (we have no such direct evidence), but we are coordinating with the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC),” said lawyer Mamerto Telio, the investigator from the NBI-National Capital Region

Antonio Pagatpat, the deputy director for Regional Operation Service, said: “Maliwanag ito eh, na-release yung pera, ‘yung nag-claim hindi sila ang may-ari. The money was released doon sa mga hindi tamang claimants dahil hindi sa kanila ang lupa.”

(This is clear, the money was released, the claimants were not the real owners. The money was released to the wrong claimants because they did not own the lands.)

What was Singson’s answer? The NBI said it did not ask Singson for a counter-affidavit during their investigation.

But at a Senate inquiry December last year, Singson said they resumed payment of claims in 2013 “after we were satisfied with the validity and authenticity of the claims based on the supporting titles from the LRA.”

“I was not a corrupt secretary and definitely not a plunderer,” he said. – Rappler.com 

This is a developing story. Please refresh for updates.

YANGON, Myanmar – Myanmar's president and Aung San Suu Kyi's right-hand man Htin Kyaw stepped down on Wednesday, March 21, after two years in the position, his office said.

"Myanmar President U Htin Kyaw resigned on March 21, 2018," a statement on the president's official Facebook page said, adding that a new leader will be selected "within 7 working days." – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) suspended operations of 10 buses of Dimple Star Bus on Wednesday, March 21, after a bus crash in Occidental Mindoro that left at least 19 people dead.

The suspension is for a period of 30 days.

Below are the plate numbers of the suspended buses, operating from San Jose, Occidental Mindoro to Manila via Mamburao, Abra de Ilog:

• TYU 708
• TYU 909
• TYU 807
• TYU 707
• TYU 789
• TYZ 800
• TYZ 801
• TYZ 700
• TYZ 881
• PTO 367

The LTFRB required Dimple Star to inspect the roadworthiness of its buses and for drivers to undergo a road safety seminar to be scheduled by the board, within the 30-day suspension.

The Dimple Star bus with plate number TYU 708 fell off Patrick Bridge in Sablayan town around 9:30 pm on Tuesday night, March 20.

The Occidental Mindoro Provincial Health Office said 15 out of the 19 fatalities have been identified while 17 of the 21 injured were admitted to nearby hospitals.

LTFRB board member Aileen Lizada said financial assistance will be provided to the victims. She asked family members to bring the following requirements to fast-track the release of financial aid:

• Single victims – birth certificate and ID of the victim's parent
• Married victims – marriage certificate and ID of the victim's spouse

According to the Passenger Accident Management and Insurance Agency (PAMI), Dimple Star figured in 4 other road crashes in the past 7 years.

In 2014, the LTFRB also suspended Dimple Star after a bus with plate number TYS 454 collided with a 10-wheeler truck along the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR) Tollway in Barangay Bulacnin, Lipa City. The crash left two people dead and 53 others injured.

See the suspension order below: 

– Rappler.com

PARIS, France – Wild macaque monkeys have learned to use tools to crack open nuts and even shuck oysters, researchers said Wednesday, March 21, identifying a rare skill-set long thought to be the exclusive party trick of humans and chimps.

Scientists from Britain and Thailand, where the native long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) feeds on sea almonds, oil palm nuts and the occasional bivalve, observed the monkeys using stones for two distinct tasks.

Larger rocks, some weighing up to two kilograms (4.5 pounds), were used as a hammer to smash open nuts, while sharper stones formed knife-like levers to jimmy open prey such as oysters.

Before the study, conducted on Thailand's Piak Nam Yai island, it was thought that only chimpanzees and bearded capuchins used stones to break open food in the wild.

Professor Tomos Proffitt, British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow at University College London, who wrote the study, said it could have wide relevance to primate studies.

"It contributes to our increasing understanding that not only apes and humans use tools for different tasks," he told Agence France-Presse.

"We should view macaques as highly intelligent problem solvers, in the same way that chimpanzees, capuchin monkeys are and early humans were also."

Scientists in Brazil in 2016 observed wild-bearded capuchin monkeys hammering away at stones to create rough flakes similar to the tools first used by human forerunners.

But one of the macaques' food sources, the oil palm, was only introduced to their island in the past few decades, meaning that the monkeys have learned to use tools to access its fruit for food extremely quickly, evolutionarily speaking.

"What we see is that they are adapting this stone tool use to other food sources away from the coast," Proffitt said.

"In many cases of primate tool use these behaviors are learnt by youngsters through many years of observation and is not something that is genetically coded into them."

The study was published in the journal Royal Society Open Science. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – With no more time left, the Commission on Appointments  bypassed Agrarian Reform Secretary John Castriciones after two CA members continued to question his qualifications.

The CA, in an executive session on Wednesday, March 21, decided to hold another hearing when sessions resume in May. Congress is set to go on recess on March 24.

Senators Panfilo Lacson and Juan Miguel Zubiri said two CA members were not satisfied with Castriciones’ answers and wanted more documents regarding his track record on agrarian reform.

Asked about it, Lacson said the two lawmakers are Senator Risa Hontiveros and Davao Oriental Representative Joel Mayo Almario.

“Requested for more documentation. 'Pag naibigay na (Once submitted), we will vote on the matter. 'Yun lang wala naman pong (That's it, there are no) violent negative reactions in the committee. Nothing to worry about,” Zubiri told reporters.

“Minor. Merong members na 'di satisfied, ni-respect na lang namin members na 'di satisfied (Only minor. There are members who are not satisfied, we just respected [their opinion]),” Lacson said.

One of them supposedly sought to invoke Section 20 of the CA rules, which allows any member to move for the suspension of any favorable decision.

Castriciones said his non-confirmation would affect the morale of his subordinates.

"It will probably demoralize some of our employees, subordinates but we will continue to do our advocacy, duties, functions," Castriciones told reporters.

Not qualified?

In the two hearings, Castriciones was grilled on his seeming lack of track record to hold the top post in DAR. But he maintained he is qualified.

He earlier said the Administrative Code states that an official only needs to fulfill two things: to be a natural-born Filipino citizen and be above 25 years old.

But Senator Grace Poe, chair of the CA committee on agrarian reform, questioned this and cited a more specific law – Republic Act 6389 or the Agricultural Land Reform Code.

Section 50 of the law states: “No person shall be appointed Secretary or Undersecretary of the Department unless he is a natural born citizen of the Philippines, with proven executive ability and adequate background and experience in land reform here and/or elsewhere for at least five (5) years, and at least thirty-five years of age.”

Castriciones, a lawyer, also claimed he has experience in dealing with agrarian reform cases as a general practitioner. But on Wednesday, he failed to submit complete documents to back this claim.

Poe said Castriciones submitted to the panel only one case, wherein he was defending a landlord and not a tenant.

Castriciones was also presented a CA investigation wherein he is found to be "overly conscious" on security matters, as well as snobbish to farmer-beneficiaries. He denied this.

"No truth to the matter I am overly conscious and I do not entertain farmer beneficiaries. As a matter of fact, every day I have to take 10 to 30 farmers coming from different areas from Visayas, Mindanao," he said.

Prior to his appointment, Castriciones served as undersecretary at the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). He is one of the 3 undersecretaries who complained to Duterte about former Interior Secretary Ismael Sueno, leading to the Cabinet official's ouster.

Castriciones, together with then DILG undersecretaries Jesus Hinlo and Emily Padilla, were later accused of corruption in an anonymous complaint sent to the President. The complaint, supposedly from DILG employees, asked the President to fire the 3 undersecretaries.

He then filed a libel complaint against a Rappler reporter who wrote about it.

Castriciones is a member of the Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte-National Executive Coordinating Council Committee (MRRD-NECC) that campaigned for Duterte in the 2016 presidential election. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Former senator and plunder defendant Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr filed an urgent motion before the Supreme Court (SC) as he continued to refrain from presenting his evidence before the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan, counting on the SC to step in and stop the trial.

In a motion filed before the SC on March 16, Revilla urged the High Court for “interim measures” including a provisional liberty.

Revilla had filed before the SC in January a holistic petition that included numerous requests. Among these petitions were his provisional liberty, the total dismissal of the charges, a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the Sandiganbayan trial, and at the very least, an oral argument on the matter.

In his latest urgent motion, he even asked the SC to require the Sandiganbayan to respond to his petition. Last February 6, the SC deferred action on the matter.

“Aware that the Court may not act immediately on the petition but through certain procedures, petitioner prayed by way of interim measures for the Court to immediately grant the following," the urgent motion said.

Sandiganbayan trial 

When the SC deferred action, Revilla’s lawyer Estelito Mendoza filed a motion before the Sandiganbayan asking to cancel the hearings because as he said, the SC is too preoccupied with the plight of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno to act on their petition.

Sandiganbayan continues to hold trial, although Revilla has managed to delay his turn presenting evidence.

“Given these injudicious circumstances, petitioner was constrained to give up several trial dates out of the sixty dates allowed by the Sandiganbayan for him to present evidence and he is already in peril of losing all the dates allowed for his defense,” Revilla told the SC.

Revilla still attended the hearing on Tuesday, March 20, and told reporters: “Ako na lang ‘yung naiwan (sa kulungan). Unfair naman yata yun. Tatlo kaming pinin-down na senador pero ako na lang naiwan.”

(I’m the only one left in jail. Isn’t that unfair? Three of us senators were pinned down, but I’m the only one left.)

Former senator Jinggoy Estrada has been granted bail and himself undergoing trial, while former senator Juan Ponce Enrile has been free since 2015 and his case has been stuck at the pre-trial level.

Presentation of evidence

Revilla claims he is ready to present witnesses but didn’t identify them yet. He said he trusts the strategy of his lead counsel Mendoza, who opts to go the Supreme Court route. Mendoza got Enrile out of detention at the Supreme Court level.

As for Janet Napoles, Revilla said her becoming a state witness would benefit him: “Baka nga makatulong pa sa kaso ko yun. Baka nga ma-clear pa niya ako, kaya mas maganda kung siya umupo.” (Maybe she could help my case. Maybe she could clear me, so it’s better that she sits down as witness.)

Napoles’ lawyer Stephen David, however, has told the Sandiganbayan 1st Division that his client would not testify in Revilla’s trial.

While Revilla skips his turn to present evidence in trial, his former legislative staff Richard Cambe  began presentation on Tuesday, March 20.

Cambe's presentation was delayed because he had gotten himself a new lawyer and they needed to complete paperwork to make it official to the court.

Cambe, who is also detained in Camp Crame, has been his own lawyer, and even resorted to request the court to be allowed a laptop and a pocket internet in jail so he could write his pleadings there.

Ombudsman prosecutors presented local government officials and bank officials to link Revilla to Napoles projects. Their smoking gun is the findings of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) that deposits made to Revilla's account match the amounts and dates on Benhur Luy's records.– Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte wants the Kuwaiti government to ensure that overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) get 7 hours of sleep, are well-fed, enjoy holidays, and won't have their passports confiscated by their employers.

These are just some of the provisions he himself inserted into a draft agreement with Kuwait on safeguarding OFWs, he said in a speech on Wednesday, March 21.

He explained that he was late for the Philippine National Police Academy graduation because he was studying the draft document that was already being "rushed" by Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III.

"I demanded that it will be a contract of government to government and that there will be some mandatory provisions like they should be allowed to sleep at least 7 hours a day," said Duterte.

He added OFWs in Kuwait should be "fed nutritious food."

"We will not allow leftovers [for] our countrymen. Palutuin sila ng kanila (Let them cook food for themselves)," said the President.

Duterte also wants the Kuwaiti government to ensure that its nationals who employ OFWs are not allowed to confiscate their passports. Such a practice allows employers to blackmail OFWs or prohibit them from returning to the Philippines.

Instead, Duterte said, if necessary, the passports can be turned over to an authority that will not abuse the power.

"No confiscation of passports by employees. If at all, it will be surrendered there in the table of arrivals of any country where Filipinos are working," he said.

In addition, OFWs "should be allowed holidays," said Duterte.

He then proceeded to emphasize that, by putting in these last-minute requirements, he does not want to generalize Kuwaitis who hire Filipinos.

But he stressed that Filipino migrants must not be abused.

"We are not slaves. Maybe our only fault would be in your county because we are poor," said Duterte.

The firebrand Philippine leader banned the deployment of OFWs to Kuwait, pending an agreement between the Philippines and Kuwait that will ensure protection for Filipinos working there.

Duterte is considering imposing a similar ban covering other Middle Eastern countries. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte said on Wednesday, March 21, that he wants more Muslims in the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

Duterte made the statement at the PNP Academy (PNPA) commencement exercises in Camp Castañeda in Silang, Cavite, on Wednesday.

"I'd like to remind everybody that we are one nation, that not all the Moro in Mindanao are our enemy. So maybe next time, there should be a percentage of the Moro people joining the PMA (Philippine Military Academy) or the PNPA. We need them," Duterte said in his speech.

"We cannot govern this country by just selecting from the other provinces without looking towards Mindanao and we need officers trained, and we need to work with them in Mindanao and let us include them," he added.

Duterte expressed gratitude to Muslim cops and soldiers who have fought in various homeland battles, the latest being the Marawi siege.

"I have seen with my own eyes the experience in the so many battles including Marawi. Many of the Moro people who are soldiers were there and many died for our country," Duterte said.

Despite their sacrifice, Muslims are not well-represented in the country's uniformed forces.

An example at hand is the PNPA Maragtas Class of 2018. Of the 106 graduates, only one is a Muslim.

In the PNP, which has 181,200 cops, only 5% or 8,924 are Muslims.

In the long run, Duterte said, he wants to see that slots in the PNPA and PMA are divided "among the tribes" in the Philippines like Ilocanos and Visayans.

"I hope by the next batch...I will have the money to give you to enlist more police officers," Duterte said.– Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The budget and health departments will be asking Congress for some P1.16 billion in supplemental budget this year to provide assistance to children who received the Dengvaxia, in anticipation of risks from the Sanofi-manufactured dengue vaccine. 

In a press briefing on Wednesday, March 21, Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Benjamin Diokno said the funds will be used to cover hospitalization, out-patient health services, and deployment of nurse-health education promotion officers (HEPO).

Medical kits will also be distributed to the vaccinees should the budget request be approved. (READ: TIMELINE: Dengue immunization program for public school students) 

Some 870,000 people, mostly school children, were vaccinated with Dengvaxia in 2016. The program has been the subject of congressional investigations for the rush in its approval and implementation – before experts had approved its commercial use. French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi released an update last November, saying its dengue vaccine presented higher risks for people who received it without prior infection. 

According to the DBM, the out-patient care package, worth P500 per vaccinee, will include a Complete Blood Count test, NS1 antigen test, urinalysis, medication, and other laboratory tests if needed.

Medical kits, worth P300 per vaccinee, will include a thermometer, a mosquito repellant, two bottles of multivitamins, and a package bag.

Diokno is confident that the supplemental budget will be passed before sessions are adjourned.

"[This] is not a controversial request. Everybody will be in favor of this to address the problem. Before they adjourn, this will be passed.

Congress will be on recess starting Thursday, March 22.

The supplemental budget would allow the use of P1.16 billion worth of refund from Zuellig Pharma, the local distributor of Sanofi Pasteur's dengue vaccine. The refund was made by the pharmaceutical company to cover the amount of unused vaccines.

In December 2015, the Philippines became the first Asian country to approve commercial sale of the world's first dengue vaccine, Dengvaxia.

However, the World Health Organization in 2016 did not recommend the use of the vaccine for children under 9 years of age. In November 2017, Sanofi issued a warning against its own vaccine, citing Dengvaxia could lead to "more cases of severe disease."

Duque suspended the dengue vaccination program in December 2017 and said the DOH will closely monitor the health of all vaccinated children in the next 5 years. 

Read Rappler's editorials on the issue: 
#AnimatED: Somebody has to answer for the dengue vaccine disaster
#AnimatED: Dengvaxia hysteria: Go back to the core issue

– Rappler.com

WASHINGTON DC, USA – The US Senate on Tuesday, March 20, rejected a bipartisan bid to end American involvement in Yemen's civil war, voting down a rare effort to overrule presidential military authorization.

The vote addressing American war powers had aimed to shut down US military involvement in Yemen within a month unless Congress formally authorized continued involvement.

Senators voted 55-44 to kill the bid after the Senate's Republican leadership and key figures from both parties on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee came out against it.

But the vote served to highlight US involvement in a 3-year-old military conflict in the Middle East's poorest country, which the United Nations has described as the world's largest humanitarian disaster.

The US has provided weapons, intelligence and aerial refueling to the Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen's government against Iran-backed rebels.

Some US lawmakers have long expressed concern about the conflict, where civilian casualties from coalition air strikes have drawn criticism from rights groups.

The resolution, sponsored by independent Senator Bernie Sanders and 14 others, forced the first-ever vote in the Senate to withdraw US armed forces from what sponsors labelled an "unauthorized" war.

"If Congress wants to go to war in Yemen or any place else, vote to go to war," Sanders said Tuesday.

"That is your constitutional responsibility. Stop abdicating that responsibility to a president."

Supporters of the Senate measure argued that Yemen was the latest hot spot where the Pentagon was engaged under an authorization to use military force (AUMF) that Congress first passed on September 14, 2001, 3 days after the deadly attacks on New York and Washington by Al-Qaeda hijackers.

Since then, presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama and now Donald Trump have relied on the order's authority, along with a subsequent AUMF in 2002, as the basis for operations against armed Islamist groups.

While the vote failed, it put deliberations over a new AUMF into the congressional spotlight.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Bob Corker said it was preferable to go through standard committee procedure rather than force an extraordinary floor vote.

"Let us work our will in the appropriate way," the Republican Corker told colleagues.

He explained that the committee would hold hearings on Yemen next month and on April 19 would consider a new AUMF that could authorize US involvement there.

"To me that's a much better route."

The vote could have caused deep diplomatic embarrassment as it came on the day Trump hosted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House.

Continuing 'Obama's war'

"The current administration has continued Obama's war," Republican Senator Mike Lee said on the Senate floor.

Lee stressed it was important to understand that the resolution in question "would not impede the military's ability to fight terror groups like ISIS (the Islamic State) inside Yemen."

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis last week asked Congress not to interfere with America's role in the war, warning that restrictions could increase civilian casualties, jeopardize counterterrorism cooperation, and "reduce our influence with the Saudis."

More than 9,200 people have been killed and tens of thousands wounded in Yemen's 3-year-old war, which is seen as both a civil conflict and a proxy war between regional titans Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell opposed the measure, insisting that US forces "are not engaged in exchanges of fire with hostile forces" in Yemen.

He added: "The refueling of aircraft over the Red Sea does not equate to introducing US forces into hostilities, nor does intelligence sharing."

But Sanders disputed suggestions that the US was not engaged in conflict.

"Tell that to the people of Yemen, whose homes and lives are being destroyed by weapons marked 'Made in the USA,' dropped by planes being refueled by the US military, on targets chosen with US assistance," Sanders said. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said on Tuesday, March 20, that he sees a "defect" in the plunder charges against alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles who's already on trial at the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan.

Aguirre said this even as he insisted that his move to turn Napoles into a witness in possible new cases will not affect already existing cases at the Sandiganbayan.

Speaking in a press briefing inside Malacañang on Tuesday, March 20, Aguirre explained that Napoles is qualified to be a government witness because as a private person, she is not the most guilty,.

“Who is more guilty? The public officer or a private person who has just finished high school? So if I put – dito lang ha, parang may depekto na natin na nadiskubre ngayon ang charges sa Sandiganbayan sa kanya eh, kasi ang charges dito is plunder. And plunder is a charge against a government official,” Aguirre said.

(So if I put – just on this point, it seems that we have discovered defects in the charges in the Sandiganbayan against her. The charges here are plunder, and plunder is a charge against a government official.)

Why does this matter? The Office of the Ombudsman prosecuted the 5 counts of plunder and dozen counts of graft against Napoles that are now being tried at the Sandiganbayan.

What alarms sectors in the latest DOJ move to put Napoles under the Witness Protection Program (WPP) is that it will undo years' worth of work in the already existing cases.

But Aguirre allayed that fear: “We will not mind anymore whatever pending cases [are] pending against  her. Doon lang kami sa pa-file-an namin na bago (We’ll focus on the new cases we will file). But as I told you, it will not, in any way affect the current cases or pending cases against her.”

However, later in the press conference, Aguirre said that the theory of Napoles not being the most guilty would show "defects" in the already existing cases.

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales also said these already existing cases will not be affected, and that she will block any attempt  to make Napoles a state witness in those cases.

What happens when Morales retires? Morales retires in July.

Whoever will replace Morales has the power under revised rules of criminal procedure to declare Napoles a state witness in present cases.

Asked for his opinion on whether a new Ombudsman can change Morales’ theory, Aguirre said: “Well, hindi naman kinakailangang i-change na because sa ngayon, the cases she’s facing are plunder cases. Kapag plunder, sino ba ang dapat idemanda diyan, hindi ba government officials?”

(Well, you don't need to change it because as of now, the cases she's facing are plunder cases. In plunder, who should you sue, government officials, right?) (READ: No need for Janet Napoles: Cases vs LP lawmakers pending at Ombudsman)

Aguirre added:“So, kung government officials ang idedemanda diyan, then si Janet would be just a co-conspirator. And being a co-conspirator, she is not the most guilty. Kaya, since she is not the most guilty, then she is qualified to be put under the WPP.”

(So, if government officials are charged then Janet would just be a co-conspirator. Being a co-conspirator, she is not the most guilty. So since she is not the most guilty, then she is qualified to be put under the WPP.)

Aguirre even goes on to say that their assessment of Napoles' credibility as a witness will possibly clash with Benhur Luy, and his standing as a state witness.

"Basta ang mangyayari dito, ipagpalagay nang credible or incredible iyong si Benhur Luy, magdedepende lang kami dito kay Janet. Siyempre before we admit her, dapat ma-explain niyang lahat, “O, papaano itong kay Benhur Luy na sinasabi?” Iyan ay hindi ko masasagot iyan, premature pa iyan," he said.

(What will happen here is that let's say that Benhur Luy is credible or incredible, we will depend on Janet. So before we admit her, she should be able to explain everything. "How about Benhur's statements?" But I can't answer that yet, that's still premature.) (READ: Do not forget the sins of Napoles)

Napoles’ lawyer Stephen David also mentioned that apart from Napoles being a state witness, they are also looking at the option of striking a plea bargain agreement.

A plea bargain agreement is pleading guilty to a lesser offense. Instead of issuing denial after denial, the accused admits to wrongdoing, thus giving prosecutors some headway to pursue the case.

What’s the track record? The plea bargain agreement of former military comptroller retired Major General Carlos F. Garcia in 2011 rocked the Office of the Ombudsman. In that plea bargain, he pleaded guilty to direct bribery and facilitating money laundering to be cleared of plunder.

It led to former Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez resigning just before the Senate could start her impeachment trial.

Amid the public uproar, the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan upheld the deal.

Interestingly, one of the characters there was former presiding justice Edilberto Sandoval. As chair of the second division in 2010, he voted to grant bail to Garcia. He was outvoted, and the majority rejected the bail request.

Garcia then went for a plea bargain deal.

Sandoval is now the Chief Special Prosecutor of the Office of the Ombudsman. He is the first recommending authority for plea bargain deals and for admitting someone as a state witness. – Rappler.com

TAIPEI, Taiwan – Taiwan said Wednesday, March 21, it had scrambled jets and sent ships to track the passage of a Chinese aircraft carrier through the Taiwan Strait, as Beijing's leader gave the island a fierce warning against separatism. 

The Liaoning and accompanying vessels entered Taiwan's air defense zone on Tuesday, the same day Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a blistering nationalistic speech – warning against what he called any attempts to split China. 

"All acts and tricks to separate the country are doomed to fail and will be condemned by the people and punished by history," Xi said in an address ending the annual session of the National People's Congress.

China, which sees self-ruled Taiwan as its territory, has stepped up air and naval patrols around the island since Beijing-sceptic President Tsai Ing-wen came to power in May 2016. 

She refuses publicly to accept the "one China" formula agreed between Beijing and Taiwan's previous government.

Chinese warplanes conducted 25 drills around Taiwan between August 2016 and mid-December last year, according to Taipei.

The Liaoning, currently China's only aircraft carrier, left around noon Wednesday, Taiwan's defense ministry said.

The Soviet-built ship caused a stir in Taiwan when it first entered the strait in January last year in what was seen as a show of strength by Beijing. 

It sailed past Taiwan again last July en route to Hong Kong and returned in January this year.

China still sees Taiwan as its territory awaiting reunification, by force if necessary, even though the two sides split in 1949 after a civil war and have been ruled separately ever since. 

The carrier's latest voyage came days after President Donald Trump signed new rules allowing top-level US officials to travel to Taiwan. 

An irked Beijing has called on Washington to "correct its mistake".

US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Alex Wong is currently visiting the island and will speak at a business dinner alongside  President Tsai later Wednesday. 

"We are monitoring the whole process of the Liaoning's cross-region drill," Defence Minister Yeh De-fa told parliament Wednesday.

The defence ministry said no unusual activities by the carrier group had been spotted "and we urge the public to rest assured." – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – A staunch ally and a fierce critic of President Rodrigo Duterte clashed on Wednesday, March 21, on the issue of Senate concurrence with the Philippines' withdrawal from treaties.

Opposition senator Antonio Trillanes IV delivered a privilege speech, questioning Duterte's unilateral decision to leave the International Criminal Court (ICC). (FULL TEXT: Duterte's statement on Int'l Criminal Court withdrawal)

Trillanes hit Malacañang's statement that the Rome Statute, the founding document of the ICC, is invalid because it was not posted in the Official Gazette. According to the opposition senator, there is no such policy.

He cited Executive Order No. 459, signed by former president Fidel Ramos, providing for the guidelines in the negotiation of international agreements and their ratification.

EO 459 only requires that the Senate concur with the ratification by the president, and that after concurrence, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) "shall comply with the provision of the treaties in effecting their entry into force."

"Let me just put on record, nothing in this EO showed that there is a need for the treaty to be publicized in the Official Gazette. Aside from that, I would like to manifest that for as long as the senators or 2/3 of the total number have concurred [with] the withdrawal, such withdrawal of Duterte [from the] ICC is void from the start," Trillanes said.

The Senate could have had a say in the ICC withdrawal but a resolution, signed by 14 senators, was blocked by neophyte senator Manny Pacquiao, a Duterte ally.

Pimentel disagrees

Pimentel opposed Trillanes' claim that Senate concurrence is needed in treaty withdrawals, saying the 1987 Constitution does not state that.

Trillanes, however, said it is in the Constitution "by implication."

"I submit but the Senate President will agree with me, the framers of the Constitution overlooked a lot of things. That's why there are clamors from certain groups to amend, maybe this is just one of them," Trillanes added.

"That is my position, that an important decision such as a withdrawal from an international treaty should be given as much weight as entering [it]."

But Pimentel disagreed, saying the framers "intentionally limited the role of the Senate."

"For me, nothing was overlooked in this provision.... My position is it's dangeous to always assume... that it was overlooked by framers. If it is not here, it was intentionally omitted by framers of the Constitution," Pimentel said.

To address this issue, the Senate leader said PDP-Laban's proposed charter seeks to grant the Senate more power in steering the country's foreign policy, more than just mere concurrence.

Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III, meanwhile, told Trillanes that the Philippines is paying the ICC roughly P25 million yearly, and asked what benefit that has brought the country.

Trillanes replied: "That's for the future. It's a contribution to, basically, an international organization that overlooks the ending of the culture of impunity globally. With the case now, ito na ngayon ang mapapala natin (here's how we'll now benefit), we get to benefit from those earlier contributions."

Duterte's decision to leave the ICC came after the court announced it will conduct a preliminary examination of the Philippine government's bloody drug war.

The ICC has said that the withdrawal would not derail the probe. (READ: Int'l Criminal Court 'encourages' PH gov't to reconsider withdrawal) – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Nineteen senators stood by the parliamentary immunity of all speeches delivered in the Senate, amid a case filed  against opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes IV over his October 2017 privilege speech against President Rodrigo Duterte.

The senators filed Senate Resolution No. 697, expressing the sense of the body that Article VI, Section 11 of the 1987 Constitution “must at all times be upheld and protected.”

The provision states that “no member [of Congress] shall be questioned nor be held liable in any other place for any speech or debate in the Congress or in any committee thereof.”

“The Senate must thwart any attempt to diminish its members’ constitutionally guaranteed right to parliamentary immunity and privilege from arrest as it is only with the fullest liberty of speech that legislators can effectively discharge their mandate,” the resolution read. 

The 19 senators who signed the resolution are:

1. Franklin Drilon
2. Francis Pangilinan
3. Paolo Benigno Aquino IV
4. Leila de Lima
5. Antonio Trillanes IV
6. Ralph Recto
7. Juan Edgardo Angara
8. Nancy Binay
9. Joseph Victor Ejercito
10. Sherwin Gatchalian
11. Gregorio Honasan
12. Risa Hontiveros
13. Panfilo Lacson
14. Loren Legarda
15. Manny Pacquiao
16. Grace Poe
17. Joel Villanueva
18. Cynthia Villar
19. Juan Miguel Zubiri

Citing the framers of the 1987 Charter, the resolution said the purpose of such privilege is to ensure the “effective discharge of legislative functions by a member of Congress,” which should be free from vindictiveness or fear.

It also cited Supreme Court rulings, such as Vera v Avelino, Osmeña v. Pendatun, and Pobre v Santiago, to further push the senators’ point.

The senators also said that only Congress can discipline its own members for unparliamentary conduct or disorderly behavior, which is usually coursed through the ethics committees.

The resolution came after inciting to sedition charges were filed against Trillanes before the  Pasay City Prosecutor’s Office for his October 2017 privilege speech.

In the speech, Trillanes accused Duterte of having P2 billion worth of transactions in his bank account not reflected in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN).

The charges stemmed from the complaint filed in November 2017 by Duterte allies lawyer Manny Luna and Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) member Jacinto Paras, who is now labor undersecretary.

The prosecutor said Trillanes' intention was clearly “to sow the seeds of sedition in the mind of the people” and that the speech was not covered by parliamentary immunity because it was “purely an attack” and not in aid of legislation. – Rappler.com

SINGAPORE – Singapore's parliament on Wednesday, March 21, passed a controversial law giving authorities the power to block all electronic communications at the scene of a terror attack, despite protests it will erode media freedom.

The law allows police to stop anyone within the vicinity of what they deem to be a "serious incident," including a terror attack, from taking photos and video or communicating about police operations through text and audio messages.

The government says the affluent financial hub is a prime target for militants, and that during attacks elsewhere live broadcasts unwittingly helped attackers to anticipate moves against them.

However activists argue the law risks further damaging an already poor record what it comes to press freedom in the tightly-controlled city-state.

Josephine Teo, the second minister for home affairs, told MPs the measure would only be used in a specific area and would be lifted when security operations are over.

"Reporting is still allowed, just not live reporting. We will allow selected media into the area for later coverage," she said. 

Lawmakers voted overwhelming in favor of the measure. Parliament is dominated by MPs from the People's Action Party, which has governed Singapore for over 5 decades.

When the proposal was tabled in parliament earlier this year, Shawn Crispin, Southeast Asia representative of the Committee to Protect Journalists, said it would "black out the news precisely when the public needs to be accurately informed".

Singapore's domestic press is closely controlled. Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders ranks the country 151st out of 180 countries in its World Press Freedom Index, with a number-one ranking being the best.

Civil society groups have also raised concerns that the term "serious incident" is vaguely defined and could lead to authorities targeting already rare peaceful protests.  – Rappler.com

KABUL, Afghanistan – A suicide bomber on Wednesday, March 21, killed at least 26 people, many of them teenagers, in front of Kabul University, officials said, as Afghans took to the streets to celebrate the Persian new year holiday.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the deadly attack – the fifth suicide bombing in the Afghan capital in recent weeks – but the Taliban denied involvement on Twitter. 

Another 18 people were wounded in the blast, interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said, "all of them civilians".

A suicide attacker on foot detonated himself in front of a hospital, Rahimi said. The hospital is opposite Kabul University. 

The bomber was less than 200 meters from Karte Sakhi shrine where many Afghans gather every year to mark Nawrooz, which is the traditional Persian new year holiday.

The same shrine was attacked in October 2016 when Islamic State gunmen killed 18 people gathered to mark Ashura, an important date for many Muslims, especially Shiites.  

A man who was standing metres from where the explosion happened told Tolo News that he saw "at least 4 bodies in blood" on the ground.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the assault but Taliban and Islamic State (ISIS) militants have increasingly targeted the war-weary city in recent months.

The blast comes days after a Taliban suicide attacker blew up a bomb-laden car in the Afghan captial, causing multiple casualties. 

Little incentive for talks

The Taliban faces growing pressure to take up a recent offer by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani of peace talks to end the 16-year war. So far it has given only a muted response.  

This latest suicide attack underscores the growing challenge facing Afghan and foreign forces to protect the already heavily militarised city. 

Authorities had increased security ahead of Nawrooz festivities, which militants have previously struck with deadly force.

General John Nicholson, who leads US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, recently told reporters that protecting Kabul was a priority for foreign troops.

"Kabul is our main effort right now, to harden Kabul, to protect the people of Kabul and the international community that are here because of the strategic impact that has and the importance to the campaign," Nicholson said. 

The latest attack comes as US Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford visits Afghanistan to assess the military campaign against insurgents.

Despite calls for the Taliban to sit down with the Afghan government, it appears to have few reasons to negotiate.

The group has been resurgent since the withdrawal of US-led NATO combat troops at the end of 2014, taking back territory and devastating Afghanistan's beleaguered security forces.

In October, insurgents controlled or influenced nearly half of Afghanistan's districts -- double the percentage in 2015, the US government's office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction said in January.

Over the same period, the watchdog said, the number of districts under Afghan government control or influence fell to its lowest level since December 2015. – Rappler.com