Bookmark this page to watch and join the discussion live on Thursday, May 10.

MANILA, Philippines – The Supreme Court (SC) is expected to vote on the quo warranto petition seeking to oust Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno on Friday, May 11.

The petition itself has been slammed as an unconstitutional route to remove a sitting chief justice. Legal experts also said that granting the petition would open the floodgates to more similar petitions, and make justices – even the President –  vulnerable to such suits.

On Thursday, May 10, Rappler talks to Professor Dan Gatmaytan, who teaches constitutional law at the University of the Philippines (UP) in Diliman, to discuss possible scenarios should the SC oust Sereno on Friday.

Can Sereno defy the decision if she is ousted? Can the Senate question the validity of an SC ouster? And what happens to the judiciary if it does remove its own chief justice?

A possibility that Gatmaytan raised is ousting Sereno pro hac vice, which  literally means "for this moment" or "for this occasion." It means that the decision only applies to Sereno and the pecularities of her case, and cannot be used as a legal precedent.

This, Gatmaytan said, would address the fear that quo warranto will put at risk the security of tenure of many government officials.

Tune in to Rappler Talk on Thursday, May 10. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Residents from tourist hotspot Boracay Island in Malay, Aklan can now apply for the Department of Social Welfare and Development's (DSWD) cash-for-work program.

In a statement, DSWD OIC Secretary Emmanuel Leyco said the social welfare department adjusted its guidelines for the program, specifically amending the rate of financial assistance.

"The lack of economic activities and employment opportunities aggravates their condition and increases their vulnerability to the social ills created by poverty, and we cannot allow this to happen," Leyco said.

"The increased rate of assistance is meant to help alleviate the economic difficulties of Filipinos affected by the Boracay closure," he added.

The previous rate of assistance for the program stood at 75% of the regional wage rate. DSWD amended the guidelines for beneficiaries to receive 100% of the regional minimum wage, which currently stands at P323.50 a day. (READ: Displaced Boracay workers settle for P323/day for 30 days: 'Puwede na')

Boracay Island was officially closed from tourists starting April 26. Depending heavily on the tourism economy, many businesses had to close down during the closure period, displacing thousands of workers.

Eligible individuals can apply for either labor or office work for 30 days. Tasks will include the following:

• Labor work: clearing operations, facility repair, planting trees, cleaning, and other similar work. DSWD will provide protective gear and tools for those participating under hazardous activities.
• Technical or office work: assisting in profiling tasks, preparing reports, disbursing payment operations, camp management, and operations center work among others.

Under the guidelines, those eligible to apply for the DSWD's employment program are displaced workers; those who had to return to their home provinces; those who were transferred employment; and those who migrated to other provinces.

Interested applicants may visit the DSWD Operations Center in Faith Village in Boracay.

Meanwhile, Leyco said those who were transferred or had to go back to their home provinces can visit the DSWD field office in their region to seek assistance.

As of Monday, May 7, the social welfare department has provided assistance to 5,244 displaced workers, disbursing a total of P12.64 million since April 23.

President Rodrigo Duterte ordered Boracay closed due to its environmental problems, approving the recommendation of the environment, interior, and tourism departments. (READ: INSIDE STORY: How Duterte decided on Boracay closure)

According to government estimates, some 36,000 workers were affected by the shutdown of the island. Revenue losses during a 6-month shutdown is estimated to run up to P1.96 billion, with the Western Visayas economy bearing the brunt of the economic losses.– Rappler.com

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – A two-year-old boy was killed in a pedestrian accident Thursday, May 10, in one of Davao City's busiest streets where a speed limit is in place.

Loviege Tirol Pangantihon was crossing a pedestrian lane with his mother in San Pedro Street past 11 am, when an armored vehicle suddenly passed by and ran over the boy, crushing his head.

Police said there was no chance to save Pangatihon's life. The incident took place not far away from the city hall and the Davao City Police Office.

Gregorio Antonio Vito Jr, the driver of the Davao Security and Investigation Agency (DASIA) car, faces charges of reckless imprudence resulting to homicide, police said in a DXAB report. 

It was not immediately known whether Vito was overspeeding along San Pedro, where the speed limit is is set at 30 kilometers per hour.

Davao City has a local ordinance that outlaws overspeeding to curb road accidents. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The 3rd division of the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan has denied the appeal of alleged pork barrel scam queen Janet Lim Napoles to be transferred to a safehouse, ending all hopes for now that she could be transferred out of her regular jail in Camp Bagong Diwa.

The Third Division denied her motion after it found the evidence of supposed threats to Napoles' life as insufficient.

"The Court does not find any valid reason to allow the transfer of custody of accused Napoles to another facility or agency," said the resolution dated May 3 and released to media on Thursday, May 10.

Before the Third Division, the First and Fifth Divisions had already denied the motion. Napoles is on trial for plunder over the pork barrel scam in the 3 divisions, so all of them would have to sign off on the transfer before it could happen.

The final denial seals the unfavorable deal for Napoles.

What happens now? 

Napoles is now counting on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to finalize her provisional Witness Protection Program (WPP) coverage, or at least extend it.

The provisional coverage given to her by resigned justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II will end on May 26.

DOJ Secretary Menardo Guevarra said they are re-evaluating the deal. (READ: Stephen David using Palace connections for Napoles?)

"It depends, because there are certain factors to consider, like, is there a continuing threat to security? Is she filing a new complaint against anyone for which she needs protection? Those are the things we need to consider," Guevarra said.

Napoles was admitted to the WPP on the promise that she would reveal more of what she knows in the pork barrel scam. This served Aguirre's reinvestigation that targeted allies of the Aquino administration.

Status of the reinvestigation remains unclear because the head of the DOJ panel, Undersecretary Antonio Kho, has resigned following Guevarra's revamp in the DOJ. The justice secretary, who was previously deputy to Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, had asked Aguirre's hires to resign.

"I'm not saying that the people there who are incumbent are not competent, or are not without integrity, I'm not saying that. I'm just saying I need people who I have personally worked with and who I know the work ethics," Guevarra said. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte named Virginia Nazarrea Orogo as acting secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Malacañang said Thursday, May 10.

Duterte also appointed Eliseo Mijares Rio Jr as acting secretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).

Duterte signed their appointment papers on Tuesday, May 8.

Rio, an undersecretary at the DICT, has been the department's officer-in-charge since October last year, following the resignation of Rodolfo Salalima.

Orogo served as DSWD undersecretary prior to her appointment. Undersecretary Emmanuel Leyco was DSWD OIC after the Commission on Appointments thumbed down Judy Taguiwalo in August 2017.

Duterte also appointed the following on Wednesday:

• Rolando Ednalino Ampunin as member of the board of directors of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, representing the national government 
• Benasing Onayan Macarambon Jr as member of the board of directors of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, representing the business and investment sectors 

– Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Boracay Island Water Company Inc completed the sewerage diversion system connecting Balabag sewage treatment plant to Manoc-Manoc, allowing more establishments and households to connect to the company's sewer network.

In a statement released on Thursday, May 10, Boracay Water said some of the used water in the Balabag facility will be transmitted to Manoc-Manoc for treatment to "maximize the combined capacity of both treatment plants."

"The flow diversion project maximizes the combined capacity of both treatment plants and will enable the company's sewerage system to accommodate even non-Boracay Water customers who are yet to connect to a reliable and proper used water network," Boracay Water said.

The diversion project started in March 2018.

Barangay Balabag is home to the busy beach fronts of White Beach Stations 1 and 2 in Boracay Island in Malay, Aklan, as well as Bulabog Beach where sports activities are being held.

According to Boracay Water, Balabag receives an average of 5.7 million liters of wastewater per day (MLD) during regular operations. The figure is 88% of its 6.5 MLD maximum capacity.

The completed diversion system will allow some of the wastewater to be treated by the Manoc-Manoc sewerage treatment plant, which treats about 1 to 2 MLD – or about 20% to 40% of its capacity of 5 MLD.

In total, both facilities treat an average of 8.7 MLD or 76% of its combined 11.5 MLD capacity. Boracay Water said the treatment plants discharge Class SB water or treated domestic used water suitable for recreational activities such as swimming or skindiving.

"Boracay Water is also accelerating its sewer system projects in accordance with the used water masterplan approved by Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) including the construction of the island’s third sewage treatment plant in Barangay Yapak with a capacity of 5 MLD," the statement said.

Boracay Water will also expand its 22-kilometer sewer network and will provide desludging services to unsewered areas to ensure wastes collected from septic tanks will undergo proper treatment.

President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the closure of Boracay Island for 6-months, calling it a "cesspool" because of its environmental problems.

Establishments and households not connected to sewerage treatment plants triggered the increase of water pollution to extreme levels, especially during summer months because of the large number of people that flock to the world-famous island resort. (WATCH: How green can Boracay get?)

Improving the sewerage system of Boracay is among the government's rehabilitation priorities. (READ: CHEAT SHEET: What to expect from Boracay closure)– Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Environment and Natiural Resources (DENR) deployed teams to assess the extent of fish kills in Obando, Bulacan, and in Pontevedra, Negros Occidental.

The fish kill claimed  P17 million ($327,390)* worth of milkfish in Bulacan, spanning an area of at least 150 hectares, according to provincial agriculturist Maria Gloria Carillo.

At least 40 fishpond operators in barangays Pag-asa, Paliwas, Hulo, Lawa, Paco, Tawiran, and Salambao were affected by the fish kill.

“The inspection team is still validating if other villages were affected by the fish kill,” said Carillo.

Initial findings of the team showed that the fish kill was due to the low dissolved oxygen content of the water, caused by abrupt rainfall.

Meanwhile, a fish kill incident was also reported in Pontevedra, Negros Occidental, after a sugar mill dam of Central Azucarera de la Carlota Incorporated in the adjacent La Carlota City collapsed on Tuesday, May 8.

The cost and extent of the damage has yet to be determined.

An inspection conducted by the EMB indicated pollution, water discoloration and presence of dead fish in the area. The team is still analyzing the water to determine what caused the pollution.

The Philippine News Agency (PNA) reported that this is not the first time a fish kill occurred in Pontevedra. Two similar incidents were also reported last year.

CACI said in a press statement that it is closely monitoring the high water levels of the impounding dams at Barangay Najalin, which apparently caused the breach of the southern wall of the dam, the PNA reported. – Rappler.com

US$1 = P51.92

MANILA, Philippines – After landing in the infamous drug list of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), over 200 barangay officials will now find themselves waiting for the day when cops come to knock on their doors to plead with them to surrender.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) announced on Thursday, May 10, that it would soon conduct Oplan Tokhang visitations on the drug-linked barangay officials.

"Ang ni-request sa amin ng PDEA is for these personalities to be included in our Tokhang operations (The PDEA requested that we include these personalities in our Tokhang operations)," PNP Director for Operations Chief Superintendent Ma-o Aplasca said in a Camp Crame press briefing on the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections 2018.

Why conduct Oplan Tokhang? The PNP has to follow the PDEA as the latter is mandated by law and by an executive order by President Rodrigo Duterte to be the lead agency in the country's campaign against illegal drugs.

The call for the barangay officials' surrender and rehabilitation comes amid possible oversights in PDEA's intelligence work. (READ: PDEA admits cases vs officials in drug list 'not airtight')

Just a day after PDEA released the barangay narco list, it was revealed that one of the officials on the list named officials had been dead since January 2017 and was not on the local police's drug watch list.

What if they won't surrender? The barangay officials will face the possibility of fullblown anti-illegal drug operations – missions that have ended bloody under Duterte's PNP.

"If they don't surrender, the next action of the PNP is to conduct case build-up operations and we will now start to operate," Aplasca added in a mix of English and Filipino.

Election offense: In an opinion piece for Rappler, election lawyer Emil Marañon III said PDEA's release of names without filing charges against the barangay officials is unconstitutional. The move can also be considered an election offense. It constitutes electioneering and partisan political activity because it was intended to work against the candidacies of those running on May 14. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Two weeks after closing Boracay to tourists, President Rodrigo Duterte created the Boracay Inter-agency Task Force to formulate an "action plan" and help rehabilitate the island. 

Duterte ordered the creation of the task force through Executive Order (EO) 53, which was signed on Tuesday, May 8, and released to reporters on Thursday, May 10.

Boracay was officially closed to tourists on April 26. 

The Boracay Inter-agency Task Force is chaired by Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu.

Its vice chair is the secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). The DILG's officer-in-charge is Undersecretary Eduardo Año.

EO 53 stated the following as part of the powers and functions of the task force:

• to "review and consolidate existing master plans" and to formulate "an action plan towards the sustainable tourism development of Boracay"
• to coordinate with concerned agencies and local government units (LGUs) "on the immediate withholding or revocation of permits or licenses" issued to business that violate environmental laws
• to evaluate "building permits or licenses granted by relevant agencies and LGUs"
• to "perform other tasks that the President may direct"

EO 53 also said that "a moratorium on the construction of new tourism and other business facilities and enterprises…shall be strictly enforced for 6 months from the effectivity of this Order."

The funding for implementing EO 53 "shall be sourced from existing appropriations of member-agencies of the task force," among other things. 

On the day Boracay was closed, Duterte also signed the proclamation declaring a state of calamity in 3 barangays on the island.  

Duterte closed Boracay to tourists for a 6-month period because the island has supposedly become a "cesspool." The country stands to lose P1.96 billion due to the decision, said Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia. – Rappler.com

BATANGAS, Philippines – Regional Director Eduardo Janairo of the Department of Health (DOH)-Calabarzon on Monday, May 7, instructed all provincial DOH representatives to immediately implement the approved guidelines for Dengvaxia claims in the region.

"The one-time financial assistance of P50,000 under DOH Department Order No. 2018-0147 shall be released by the Office of the President to surviving family members of deceased Dengvaxia vaccinees who have received the vaccine during the 2016 school- and community-based vaccination program," Janairo said.

The order specified that only the claims of surviving family members of deceased dengue vaccinees in the DOH master list will be processed, and only the next of kin will receive the one-time financial assistance. (READ: TIMELINE: Dengue immunization program for public school students)

According to Janairo, claimants can file at the DOH Public Assistance Unit, which is tasked to receive and process claims supported by required documents, such as:

• original birth and death certificate of the deceased recipient duly authenticated by the Philippine National Statistics Office, or a certified true copy (CTC) of the birth certificate from the city or municipal civil registry
• original dengue immunization ID of the deceased, or original certification from the Disease Prevention and Control Bureau that the deceased was a dengue vaccine recipient
• original or CTC of the medical or clinical abstract with signature of the attending physician, license number, and professional tax receipt number

Janairo said they will implement guidelines tailor-made for the needs of the claimants in order to lessen the burden of having to prepare too many documents.

"These surviving family members are already in the state of difficulty and suffering, and it is important to alleviate them from their condition and not to further their agony," Janairo said.

He added: "Once all conditions are fulfilled, it will be deposited in the account of the claimant, or a check shall be issued provided he or she doesn't have a bank account." 

The Senate and the House of Representatives conducted investigations into the school-based dengue immunization program after Sanofi Pasteur issued an advisory in November 2017 that Dengvaxia could cause more severe cases of dengue if administered to a person who had not been previously infected by the virus.

The Department of Health has since suspended the program, and tapped experts from the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital to validate alleged deaths  due to Dengvaxia.

In April, the DOH said that over 3,200 students who received the dengue vaccine as part of the school-based immunization program were hospitalized following their vaccination. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippine – The Human Rights Victims’ Claims Board (HRVCB) has released its final list of eligible claimants days before it ceases operations.

In a statement, HRVCB chairperson Lina Sarmiento said the final list consisting of 11,103 names who will receive monetary compensation was approved after a long process. The total number of eligible claimants make up 14% of a total of 75,749 applicants. 

“The final list was arrived at after all claims were deliberated by the 3 divisions of the board, then list of preliminary eligible claimants published, and all appeals or oppositions resolved,” she said.

The first tranche of payments was in May 2017.

The HRVCB, created in pursuant of Republic Act No. 10368 or the Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013, is a quasi-judicial body mandated by law "to receive, evaluate, process, and investigate" reparation claims made by victims of human rights violations under the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos' Martial Law. (READ: Martial Law 101: Things you should know)

The release of the final list comes days before the HRVCB is expected to end operations as mandated by law. 

A sunset clause in the original law gave the board only two years – from May 12, 2014 to May 12, 2016 – to complete its work. In April 2016, Republic Act No. 10766 was passed, extending its life for two more years or until May 12, 2018.

For victims

Considered the darkest chapter in Philippine history, the 10 years of military rule saw about 70,000 people imprisoned, 34,000 tortured, and 3,240 killed, according to Amnesty International. (READ: #NeverAgain: Martial Law stories young people need to hear)

Thousands of people, mostly those the administration deemed opposition, were subjected to various forms of torture. (READ: Worse than death: Torture methods during martial law)

The amount of monetary compensation works on a point system depending on the violation as provided by the law:

• Enforced disappearance and killing: 10 points
• Torture: 6 to 9 points
• Arbitrary detention: 3 to 5 points
• Other violations: 1 to 2 points

Each claimant that is deemed eligible by the board will receive from P176,779 for one point to P1,767,790 for 10 points. The money distributed comes from the P10-billion in ill-gotten wealth recovered from the Marcos family. (READ: Women victims tell SC of Martial Law torture)

Aside from money, victims are also entitled to other compensations such as social services at the Department of Health and the Department of Social Welfare and Development, among others.

RA 10368 also provides for the creation of a library and a museum in honor of Martial Law victims. (READ: What the gov’t still owes Martial Law victims) – Rappler.com

SICHUAN, China –  This was supposed to be a feel-good story about a pig that became a national icon after it survived a devastating earthquake 10 years ago in China's southwestern province of Sichuan.

But the local public security bureau had a different idea: 3 plainclothes officers stopped AFP journalists from completing their reporting and escorted them out of the museum.

The heavy police presence shows how sensitive the earthquake remains 10 years after the massive temblor left 87,000 dead or missing, including thousands of children killed in the collapse of what many believe were shoddily built schools.

In the years after, the government – which has never released an official investigation into the accusations – silenced those who tried to shed light on the catastrophe, including world renowned artist Ai Weiwei, who was detained for months and beaten by police.

The pig, known as "Zhu Jianqiang" which means "Strong Pig", shot to fame after he was discovered alive beneath rubble, 36 days after the 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck Sichuan province on May 12, 2008.

The response became a source of national pride as the country's military and charitable organizations rushed to help survivors, and Zhu Jianqiang became a symbol of resilience.

He survived on rainwater and a bag of charcoal during his ordeal and was sold to the Jianchuan Museum – a cluster of exhibition halls devoted to recent Chinese history – which agreed to nurture him for the rest of his life as a reminder of the nation overcoming adversity.

But in a country where it is illegal to disparage national heroes, even a famous pig can become a sensitive subject.

Indomitable will to live 

As the 10th anniversary of the earthquake approaches, foreign reporters seeking to interview Zhu had to file a formal request with the provincial government.

On a recent visit, a team of media officials met a group of foreign and domestic journalists at the museum's visitor center and then accompanied them on a small tram to see Zhu, whose massive bulk was draped across a pile of hay inside a glass enclosure.

His front legs were injured during the earthquake, and he has difficulty standing.

The problem nearly cost him his life, according to a recent Chinese media report, which said Zhu was on his last legs after he had become too fat to stand.

But a diet – and his indomitable will to live – got him back on his feet.

At the ripe old age of 11 – over 80 in human years – he spends more than 20 hours a day sleeping, rising in the afternoon for the first of two daily feedings.

As his keeper, Gong Guocheng, entered the pen with a bucket of slop, the determination that earned Zhu his name was on full display: as he struggled to stand, he unleashed a series of agonized shrieks, terrifying a group of schoolchildren.

But soon enough he was ambling amiably through a nearby orchard, snuffling through the fallen fruit and letting visitors pet him.

"It's Zhu Jianqiang!" an elderly tourist shouted as the hog lumbered across the pavement back to his pen.

"It can't be him, I heard he's dead," his wife said dismissively.

As an AFP reporter tried to chat with visitors, 3 plainclothes police stopped the interview and began questioning the journalists about their plans for covering the earthquake's anniversary, before escorting them out of the museum.

The officers, who repeatedly refused to give their names, then followed AFP reporters to the town's border in an unmarked car.

As the police tussled with journalists, a man visiting the museum with his parents, watched Zhu tottering among the students: "He's a symbol of China's strength."– Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte signed an executive order (EO) increasing the monthly pension of disabled workers.

EO 54 provides a P1,150 across-the-board increase in the employees compensation for all permanent disability pensioners in the private sector, as well as qualified beneficiaries in the public sector.

The benefit increase is effective from January 2017, according to the EO. In 2017, Duterte also approved a P1,000 Social Security System (SSS) pension hike after a long debate on the increase.

The EO was signed by the President on Tuesday, May 8, but copies were made available to the media on Thursday, May 10.

{source}<iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" title="EO No.54" src="http://go.rappler.com/https://www.scribd.com/embeds/378807015/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&access_key=key-bsAJPu9CUkEdi20nimlU&show_recommendations=true" data-auto-height="false" data-aspect-ratio="0.7074509803921568" scrolling="no" id="doc_75414" width="100%" height="300" frameborder="0"></iframe>{/source}

The EO also orders the SSS to continue implementing the minimum amount of at least P2,000 for the monthly disability and survivorship pension.

In the case of deceased pensioners, the SSS should continue to grant primary beneficiaries 80% to 100% of the pensioners' monthly benefits.

Meanwhile, carers' allowance for pensioners in the public and the private sector will also be increased from P575 to P1,000 monthly.

Reimbursement

Reimbursement rates for physician fees will increase under EO 54. From the previous reimbursement rates of P100 for a general practitioner and P150 for a specialist during the initial visit, it has been increased to:

For physical therapy sessions, reimbursement rate has been increased from P65 to P500 per session.

Temporary total disability benefits will also be increased from a minimum daily income benefit of P10 to P110 and from a maximum daily income of P200 to P480.

Release of the fund will be under the Employment Compensation Comission, the SSS, and the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).

According to the EO, results of the actuarial studies of the SSS and the GSIS show that the State Insurance Fund can finance the increases without affecting their stability and without requiring additional contributions. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The 3 Filipino diplomats who face warrants of arrest in Kuwait "are expected to be released in two to three days," Malacañang announced on Thursday, May 10.

In a statement released Thursday evening, the Office of the Presidential Spokesperson said the Philippine delegation in Kuwait met with Kuwait's deputy foreign minister, Al-Khaled Sulaiman Al-Jarallah.

The deputy foreign minister "assured the visiting Filipino officials that the release of the 3 Filipino diplomats is now being worked out with the interior ministry."

"The diplomats are expected to be released in two to three days," the statement said.

This comes after the Kuwaiti government freed 4 Filipino drivers previously arrested for helping the Philippine embassy rescue abused overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Kuwait.

In its statement Thursday, Malacañang said Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III and Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque led Philippine officials in meeting with Hind Sabeeh Barack Al-Sabeeh, Kuwait's minister of social affairs and labor, and minister of state for economic affairs.

Al-Sabeeh "discussed the formulation and possible amendment of a model employment contract for all domestic helpers from 91 countries who are currently working in Kuwait," said Malacañang.

"Under the model contract, workers would enjoy the following: one day off, a 12-hour sleep or rest period, protection from physical abuse, and the right to a decent meal," Malacañang added.

The Philippines' is Kuwait's 4th biggest source of domestic helpers.

Al-Sabeeh also said se "looks forward to the signing of the memorandum of agreement for OFW protection in Kuwait, which is expected to take place this Friday," May 11. – Rappler.com

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Malaysian ex-leader Mahathir Mohamad, 92, met with the king Thursday, May 10  as he sought permission to swiftly form a government and quell concerns around the succession after a stunning win over the coalition that has ruled for six decades.

Mahathir's opposition alliance scored a shock win at the polls to break the grip on power of the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, which has governed Malaysia uninterrupted since its birth as an independent country in 1957.

It capped a dramatic comeback for Mahathir, who ruled the country with an iron fist for 22 years and came out of retirement to take on Prime Minister Najib Razak after the leader became embroiled in a massive corruption scandal.

Mahathir and his wife Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali were driven into the national palace in Kuala Lumpur for an audience with the king, passing hundreds of supporters waving flags and chanting the national anthem.

Mohamad Azlan Shah, a member of Mahathir's party in the crowd, said he was "very proud".

"Our struggle to change Malaysian politics is not wasted. We believe Mahathir can make a change," he told AFP.

One of the most remarkable aspects of Mahathir's comeback has been his reconciliation with jailed opposition icon Anwar Ibrahim, his former nemesis, a relationship that has loomed large over the Malaysian political landscape for decades.

Anwar was Mahathir's heir apparent until the premier sacked him in 1998 over political differences, and he was subsequently jailed on charges of sodomy and abuse of power that were widely seen as trumped-up.

Anwar was jailed again during Najib's rule but he is due out in June – and Mahathir has promised to secure him a royal pardon, allowing him to run for office again and potentially become prime minister.

Waiting so long' 

As it became clear that BN was facing a historic wipeout, Najib kept a low profile before surfacing Thursday morning to tell a press conference that he accepted the people's will, although he stopped short of conceding defeat.

His comments were slammed by one analyst as "unstatesmanlike".

The opposition's shock victory triggered euphoria and a sense of relief that a leader who was accused of massive graft and fanning racial tensions in the multi-ethnic country was finally on his way out.

"We have been waiting for so long for this to happen," said Larson Michael, 35, a voter from just outside Kuala Lumpur.

"(Mahathir) has come back to help us regain the country. Now we want to see if he will fulfil his promises."

The initial excitement at the opposition victory will likely give way to some apprehension. Mahathir was also accused of being an authoritarian leader, and political opponents were thrown in jail during his time in office.

The opposition faced an uphill battle at the election due to what critics said were no-holds-barred attempts by Najib to hang on to power.

His government was accused of gerrymandering while activists said he hurled cash and gifts at voters and there was a litany of problems with the electoral roll, including dead people appearing on the list.

In the event, voters turned out in droves across the country to oust Najib.

His defeat could be just the start of his problems – Mahathir has vowed to bring him to justice over allegations that billions of dollars were looted from sovereign wealth fund 1MDB, which the scandal-hit leader set up and oversaw. He has denied any wrongdoing.

In Mahathir, the opposition found the perfect person to take on Najib. He is a staunch Malay nationalist who could appeal to the country's biggest ethnic group, and whose years in power were remembered as a prosperous period in the country's history. – Rappler.com

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Around one million soldiers, police and other security personnel were voting across Iraq on Thursday, May 10, in the first national elections since the country declared victory over the Islamic State group.

Servicemen in uniform queued up to cast their ballots two days before the rest of the country heads to the polls for a parliamentary election Saturday, May 12, just 5 months after the battle against the jihadists drew to a close.

Iraqis are hoping that the vote can lock in a fragile peace, 15 blood-soaked years after the US-led ouster of dictator Saddam Hussein.

But they face the mammoth task of reconstruction, while IS continues to pose a major security threat.

In the war-ravaged former IS stronghold of Mosul, retaken in July after months of street-to-street combat, policeman Renan Khaled said he wanted reconstruction to be a main priority.

"I am voting for the future of my family, so that good people occupy the right positions," said Khaled, 25, wearing a blue police uniform.

At a school in central Baghdad that had been turned into a polling station, police and presidential guard members waited to make their choice.

Security was tight after IS threats, and voters were frisked several times as they entered to cast their ballots.

Police special forces officer Ahmed Qassem told AFP that he voted for the candidate who "will help the poor and fight corruption".

"The most important thing is that it is the people who are choosing their representatives and who will become prime minister," the 38-year-old said.

In the southern city of Basra, police and soldiers filed out of polling stations with indelible ink on their fingers to show they had voted.

Traffic policeman Hassan Mohammed said he wanted "change" and hoped for a "new government that will bring us a better future".

To the north in the autonomous Kurdish enclave, fighters in the region's peshmerga security forces – which played a key role in fighting IS – also lined up to vote.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is angling for a new term as he takes credit for the fightback against IS and for seeing off a Kurdish push for independence.

But stiff competition from within his Shiite community, the majority group which dominates Iraqi politics, is likely to fragment the vote and spell lengthy horse-trading before any government is formed.

Overall, 24.5 million voters are registered for the elections, with some of the roughly one million Iraqi voters living abroad also set to cast ballots Thursday.

Polling stations have been set up in 21 countries, according to the electoral commission. – Rappler.com

BEIRUT, Lebanon – Israel conducted widespread strikes overnight against Iranian targets in Syrian territory, their largest military action yet against their regional foe and a dramatic escalation along the tenuous border with Syria.

Here's what we know about what was hit, how the world Thursday, May 10, reacted, and what could happen next.

Iran outposts hit 

Early on Thursday, Israel bombed what it said were dozens of Iranian-manned positions in Syria, including intelligence and logistics posts, depots and vehicles.

In a rare confirmation of military action in Syria, Israeli officials called it their largest such assault on Iranian targets.

Russia, a close ally of the Syrian regime, said 28 Israeli planes fired 60 air-to-ground missiles, on top of 10 tactical ground-to-ground missiles.

Syria's army activated its air defenses, which it said intercepted a large number of the missiles.

The military in Damascus said the raids ultimately destroyed a radar station and an ammunition depot and that they damaged several Syrian air defense posts, but made no mention of Iranian positions.

It said three people were killed and two wounded, without specifying their nationalities.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Israeli strikes hit pro-regime positions near Damascus, close to the central city of Homs and in southwest Syria.

It put the death toll at 23, including five Syrian regime troops and 18 allied forces, making it one of the deadliest Israeli military actions on Syria yet.

Who started the clash? 

Opposing sides have traded accusations over how the incident started.

Israel reported suspicious Iranian activity along the border with the occupied Golan Heights on Wednesday night, then said Iran's Quds force launched 20 rockets onto the occupied Golan Heights just after midnight.

If confirmed, the incident would be the first such rocket fire by Iranian forces in Syria towards Israel.

But Syrian state media reported shelling from the occupied Golan Heights was actually the first to hit the town of Baath in Syrian territory overnight.

A senior pro-regime military source in Syria and the Observatory also said Israel had fired first.

International reaction

World powers were quick to call for calm.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the two sides should "de-escalate", and Britain said it would not serve anyone's interests to see further conflict.

Germany's foreign ministry condemned the Iranian rockets as a "provocation", but said it was "crucial" the incident did not spin out into further conflict.

"The escalation of the last hours shows us that it's really about war and peace," warned German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The US, which backs Israel, condemned Iran and said Israel had the right to self-defense, as did Bahrain, a close ally of Saudi Arabia, although it has no relations with the Jewish state.

Russia, which like Iran is a steadfast ally of Assad, also urged "restraint on all sides", with its Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov saying the dispute could be "solved through dialogue".

Analysts say Moscow could be uniquely positioned to tamp down tensions between Israel and Iran because of its ties to both.

"This is not a sustainable situation," said Heiko Wimmen of the International Crisis Group.

"You need some mediation, and the best player to do that is Russia."

What to watch 

Thursday's attacks came after months of warnings from Israel that it would react strongly to Tehran entrenching itself militarily in neighboring Syria.

They followed US President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from a key 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, and a day after alleged Israeli strikes on Syria that the Observatory said killed 15 foreign pro-regime fighters, including 8 Iranians.

All eyes are on the volatile border area to see whether Iran will retaliate, either directly or through Hezbollah, its powerful Lebanese ally that is also fighting in Syria.

There were no notable military movements on Thursday along the border, but regime troops, Iranian forces and Hezbollah fighters in Syria were all on high alert, the Observatory said.

There has been no official comment from Iran, but Israel's army has said it is not looking to escalate the incident any further. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – One in every 5 barangays (villages) have been marked as "hot spots" in the lead-up to the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections on Monday, May 14.

Out of more than around 42,000 barangays nationwide, 7,915 have been labeled by the government as poll hot spots as of May 6. The number increased by over 200 since the update by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on May 2.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) bared the numbers on Thursday, May 10, during their last press briefing on the nationwide village-level polls.

The PNP said that from a month before the elections, it had recorded 20 election-related violence, which had left 24 dead.

What are hot spots? Election hot spots are areas where residents face risks because of heightened political tension in communities. 

The PNP has 5 criteria before classifying a village as a hot spot:

1. Having a violent incident in the past election
2. Having a violent incident in the present election
3. Intense political rivalry
4. Comelec control over the barangay
5. Presence of private armed groups

According to PNP spokesperson Chief Superintendent John Bulalacao, barangays with at least one pointer have been categorized as yellow, those with at least 2 or at least harbor rebels and insurgents are labeled orange, while those carrying all the indicators are marked as red.

The breakdown: PNP and the Comelec only released the totals on Thursday but not the list of barangays where there's significant threat of election-related violence.

The government instead released a regional breakdown of the numbers.

The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, according to the PNP, has the most number of hot spots. The area has long seen violence during polls, considering heated family rivalries and the presence of private armies and rebels.

At the bottom of the list is the National Capital Region, which on normal days registers one of the highest numbers on crime incidents. – Rappler.com

WASHINGTON DC, USA (UPDATED) – Donald Trump on Thursday, May 10 revealed his historic summit with Kim Jong-Un– the first-ever between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader – will take place in Singapore on June 12.

The location and date of the landmark meeting were announced in a presidential tweet just hours after Trump welcomed to the United States 3 American prisoners released by Pyongyang.

"We will both try to make it a very special moment for World Peace!" Trump wrote.

{source}<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The highly anticipated meeting between Kim Jong Un and myself will take place in Singapore on June 12th. We will both try to make it a very special moment for World Peace!</p>&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/994587349718847489?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

</center>{/source}

The talks, which are expected to last one day, are set to focus on North Korea's rapidly advancing nuclear and ballistic weapons programs.

"I think it will be a big success," Trump said as he boarded Air Force One, on his way to a political rally in Indiana.

US officials said the release of Americans Kim Hak-song, Tony Kim and Kim Dong-chul removed a major obstacle to the summit, providing Trump with some tangible evidence that his twin-track policy of engagement and "maximum pressure" was working.

"We're not under any illusions about who these people are. We know who we are dealing with here," said Victoria Coates, of the National Security Council.

"But we got, up front, our people home."

Neutral setting

The United States and North Korea are technically still at war – a stop-gap armistice ended the brutal 3-year Korean war in 1953 and around 30,000 American troops remain in neighboring South Korea, which the US supported in the conflict.

Singapore will provide a neutral backdrop for the summit, avoiding some of the security and political challenges associated with a meeting in the Demilitarized Zone that separates North and South Korea.

The Southeast Asia city state has long acted as a bridge between the United States and China, with successive prime ministers offering Oval Office occupants their cherished geopolitical counsel.

When Trump and Kim do sit down a month from now, the two relatively untested leaders will be presented with a puzzle that has stymied seasoned diplomats for decades.

A series of US administrations have sent envoys, both official and unofficial, to Pyongyang in the hope of stopping North Korea's provocative nuclear weapons program.

Former presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter visited after leaving office, multiple rounds of non-proliferation talks have taken place, and a deal was even signed in 1994.

But despite the optimism of that moment, all efforts to limit North Korea's nuclear program have, to date, failed. And more than two decades and multiple provocative weapons tests after the last accord, the threat from Pyongyang has only grown.

The country is now believed to be on the cusp of developing an intercontinental ballistic missile that could deliver a nuclear warhead to the US mainland.

Trump has vowed that he will not let that happen and has demanded that North Korea give up its nukes.

'Cautious optimism'

So far, the North Korean regime has made vague pledges to "denuclearize" but has not spelled out what that means, when it would happen or how it would be implemented.

In North Korea's bombastic rhetoric, "denuclearization" has, for years, been a byword for US troop withdrawals from South Korea and an excuse for stalling.

Hardliners in the North are believed to see possession of a nuclear weapon as the only guarantee against US-led efforts to topple Kim's regime.

Coates said there were no preconditions for the talks, which could yet include other regional leaders such as the South Korean president, but concrete steps would be welcome.

"The president's goal is very clear – the irreversible, verifiable removal of this nuclear weapons program. If he doesn't see material progress to that, there's not going to be a deal for a deal's sake," she said.

Coates said that North Korea handing over details about its existing program would "set us up with a greater chance of success, anything that they would like to do, but we haven't been signaling preconditions up until this point."

Trump's high-profile meeting offers a glimmer of hope of a breakthrough, according to Republican Senator Cory Gardner, who discussed preparations for the summit with Trump at the White House on Wednesday, May 9.

"This is a moment for cautious optimism," Gardner told Agence France-Presse. "The president understands that there is a historic opportunity to achieve what the world has been unable to achieve for decades."

At the same time, Gardner said, Trump's eyes were wide open about the risks of failure and the need to be clear that denuclearization means abandoning nuclear weapons.

"As of last night, there was no nuance in terms of denuclearization," he said.

But before any technical talk about reprocessed fuel rods, separated plutonium or spent fuel removal, Trump will want to answer one basic question – whether North Korea wants to change.

"This is the key test," said Gardner. "I think that if Kim Jong-Un wants to find relief from 'maximum pressure' and be welcomed back to the table of recognized global leadership, it's the only path he has."

Since the foundation of North Korea in 1948, the country has endured war and struggled to balance rival Soviet and Chinese spheres of influence.

Decades of financial stagnation, international sanctions, mass starvation and industrial scale human rights abuses followed.

"The road we have been down is well traveled and it's never ended well. So I hope this time is different," said Gardner. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Not even the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde, was spared from sexist comments made by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.

In impromptu remarks before members of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) on Wednesday, May 9, Duterte said a kiss is all it takes for Lagarde to change her mind about the Philippines.

Duterte began his impromptu remarks by talking about himself as a reluctant presidential candidate in 2016. He later shifted to corruption, then to his favorite topic: illegal drugs.

From illegal drugs, without any transition or context, he suddenly talked about "pumping money even if there is no value at all." This is when he mentioned the name of Lagarde.

"So just keeps on pumping money even if there is no value at all. Alam mo 'yan si Lagarde, nakita ko 'yan si… Just pull her into a corner, halikan mo lang, putang ina, mag-iba ang isip niyan," Duterte said.(You know, that Lagarde, I once saw her…Just pull her into a corner, kiss her, son of a bitch, she will change her mind.) 

"She's quite old but she's good. I met her several times," Duterte added, still referring to Lagarde.

He continued, "I'm tempted to ask, what's the standard of your classification, how rich and poor we are, or the enterprises of the world?"

Duterte on time travel

The Philippine leader made these remarks after the IMF released its World Economic Outlook, where "the IMF's projections for the Philippines were a slightly lower 4.1% this year and 3.7% next year," according to the Inquirer. 

Seconds after talking about Lagarde on Wednesday, Duterte shifted to another topic – about having "a long way to go" before his presidency is over. He even mistakenly said he has "3 more years." (He has 4 more years to go.)

"You know if I have to go back in time, and I was watching Cosmos, that you can really go back in time. It’s possible to do that but it's gonna be a warp something. 'Pag balikin ako, ayoko na (If you bring me back in time, I no longer want this)," Duterte said.

A self-confessed womanizer, Duterte has made other sexist comments in the past, prompting criticism from women's rights advocates. 

Recently, Forbes magazine included Duterte in its list of "The World's Most Powerful People" for 2018.

Part of the citation for Duterte is his "raw and vulgar vocabulary" that keeps him in the headlines around the world. – Rappler.com