MANILA, Philippines – Vice President Leni Robredo tried something new during her recent visit to the United States: she recorded her own video blog or vlog on her eldest daughter Aika's graduation from Harvard University.

During her stay in Massachusetts from May 17 to 26, the Vice President used her mobile phone to record videos as she went around Harvard and its surrounding areas with Aika. (READ: Aika Robredo at Harvard: In her own time)

Robredo's youngest daughter Jillian then edited the videos for her mother, who then uploaded the finished vlog on her personal Facebook account on Monday, June 4.

Aika, or Jessica Marie, graduated from Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government as an Edward S. Mason Fellow for the Mid-Career Master in Public Administration program – the same program Aika's late father, interior secretary Jesse Robredo, finished in 1999.

In the vlog, Robredo gave viewers a glimpse of the Harvard campus, Peabody Terrace where her family lived when Jesse had studied there, Aika's own apartment, and the graduation rites.

In several parts of the vlog, the Vice President swapped jokes with Aika, with the mother and daughter laughing at each other.

"'Yan si Aika, ikinakahiya ako (Aika over there is embarrassed by me)," narrated Robredo as she showed Aika taking a video of her while they were inside the John F. Kennedy School of Government. Aika just laughed at her mom.

Robredo said she wanted to create a vlog to remember the trip by. 

"I do not know when we will have the privilege of visiting again, so I decided to record everything on video for posterity. I do not know how to take selfies, much more to do vlogs. But this is my attempt, much to the embarrassment of my children," said the mother of 3 daughters. 

The Vice President also thanked Jillian for helping her finish the vlog. 

"What was left was just 10%, I think, of the original because Jillian said I spoke too much and my hand was too shaky most of the time. So, apologies if this makes you dizzy. Apologies also for my mahangin (windswept) look and for not knowing where the camera lens is," said Robredo.

Aika said she now plans to work in the Philippines. The Vice President hopes her daughter will devote the rest of her life to serving Filipinos. – Rappler.com

HONG KONG – Two Hong Kong independence activists who were stripped of their status as lawmakers in 2016 were sentenced to 4 weeks in prison Monday for their role in a fracas that disrupted proceedings in the city's parliament.

Baggio Leung and Yau Wai-ching belong to Hong Kong's embattled independence movement, which is calling for a complete split from China for the semi-autonomous city as its freedoms come under threat from Beijing.

The pair were told they had "directly hurt the dignity of the legislative council" by judge Wong Sze-lai, who went on to grant them bail pending appeal.

They were held in custody after the sentencing while the court awaited their bail money.

Calls for Hong Kong to split from China have incensed Beijing and the past two years have seen a crackdown on any expression of pro-independence views.

Yau, 27, and Leung, 31, are the latest activists to be given jail terms on protest-related charges.

They had pleaded not guilty to unlawful assembly and attempted forcible entry after trying to barge in to a legislative council meeting in November 2016. 

The duo had been barred from the main chamber pending a court decision over their disqualification from parliament.

They ran into the chamber, and after security bundled them out, they and their supporters tried to push their way into a committee room to which the disrupted session had been moved.

In the ensuing chaos, they clashed again with security, with at least three staff taken to hospital and police called in.

Despite being elected by the public, the pair were never allowed to take up their seats after protesting at their swearing-in ceremony.

They deliberately misread their oaths of office, inserted expletives and draped themselves in "Hong Kong is not China" flags.

Beijing intervened to ensure they were not given the chance to retake their oaths by making a special "interpretation" of Hong Kong's mini-constitution.

The ruling said that any oath-taker who did not follow the prescribed wording of the pledge, "or takes the oath in a manner which is not sincere or not solemn", should be disqualified.

After the interpretation, Hong Kong's High Court ruled to bar them both.

Hong Kong is set to mark the 29th anniversary of China's crackdown on democracy protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square with a vigil in Victoria Park on Monday evening. It is the only place on Chinese soil where the anniversary is openly marked en masse. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Chief Superintendent Roberto Fajardo, the police general sacked after the killing of 17-year-old Kian Loyd delos Santos, is now chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Highway Patrol Group (HPG).

Fajardo took office on Monday, June 4, replacing Chief Superintendent Arnel Escobal.

In the turnover ceremony of the traffic managing office, Fajardo urged his new personnel to do their best under his leadership, aiming to ease traffic along EDSA and to end carnapping incidents.

{source}<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">HAPPENING NOW: Turnover of Highway Patrol Group chief in Camp Crame. CSupt Arnel Escobal hands the leadership over to CSupt Roberto Fajardo. <a href="https://twitter.com/rapplerdotcom?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rapplerdotcom</a> <a href="https://t.co/R1Tyfdpkgw">pic.twitter.com/R1Tyfdpkgw</a></p>&mdash; Rambo Talabong (@rambotalabong) <a href="https://twitter.com/rambotalabong/status/1003465679771537408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 4, 2018</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>{/source}

Defending cops after Kian slay: In 2017, one-star police general Fajardo made headlines when he defended cops in the killing of 17-year-old Delos Santos. Fajardo was then chief of the Northern Police District (NPD).

In Delos Santos' case, cops claimed they conducted a regular drug raid and the teenager fought back. Investigations revealed, however, that the minor was killed while kneeling in a dark, damp corner of their neighborhood.

As the general watching over Caloocan among other northern Metro Manila cities, he was quoted as saying in Filipino, "People used to call him (Delos Santos) an addict and a pusher, but now that he is dead, he is now being described as kind."

"People are riding on this, that he was kind and practically a saint. But before that, it seemed he was an addict and a pusher," he added. (READ: Politics making Kian look more innocent than he is – police chief)

Facing nationwide outrage, Fajardo was sacked to prevent influencing probes.

Where has he been? Fajardo turned into a "floating official," or a general without a position, for at least 5 months before he was assigned to the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO).

He was placed in the position by the recently utilized PNP oversight committee, which recommends police colonels and generals for positions.

According to sources, he earned the position with his operations mindset. After all, he also headed the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Metro Manila prior to his NPD post.

Asked by Rappler why he thinks he was chosen for the new position, he simply said, "I don't know" and chuckled.

Fajardo belongs to the Philippine Military Academy Hinirang Class of 1987, a classmate of recently promoted Metro Manila Police chief Guillermo Eleazar. He is set to retire on September 18, 2020.– Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – President Rodrigo Duterte has decided to replace Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth's) interim president Celestina de la Serna after controversy about her excessive hotel and travel expenses erupted.

A document sent by Malacañang confirms that Duterte has appointed PhilHealth Board of Directors member Roy Ferrer to replace De la Serna.

Duterte signed Ferrer's appointment as "Acting President and Chief Executive Officer" of PhilHealth on June 1, according to the document.

{source}

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">JUST IN. Malacañang confirms embattled PhilHealth OIC Celestina de la Serna to be replaced by Roy Ferrer, member of PhilHealth board of directors. <a href="https://twitter.com/rapplerdotcom?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rapplerdotcom</a> <a href="https://t.co/0mCH33Zpcg">pic.twitter.com/0mCH33Zpcg</a></p>&mdash; Pia Ranada (@piaranada) <a href="https://twitter.com/piaranada/status/1003530687670915073?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 4, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>{/source}

It is not yet clear if De la Serna will continue being board member even as she has been stripped of the title of interim president and CEO.

Rappler first reported that De la Serna spent at least P627.3 million in government funds for her accommodations, flights to and from her hometown in Taglibaran, Bohol, and terminal fees, according to documents and the Commission on Audit (COA).

Resident auditors at PhilHealth have also asked De la Serna to explain her receipt of per diem during virtual meetings and allowances, which amount to almost a million pesos, including travel expenses.

De la Serna, despite being assigned to the PhilHealth central office, has chosen to stay at pricey hotels near the PhilHealth central office in Pasig City, a practice deemed by COA to be excessively costly.

Senator JV Ejercito, chairman of the Senate committee on health, had called on Duterte to fire De la Serna. 

The House of Representatives is also set to conduct a hearing to investigate the allegations about De la Serna's expenses.

Reacting to De la Serna's removal, Akbayan Representative Tom Villarin said, "Philhealth chief De la Serna should have not been appointed in the first place. She lacks the qualifications to head Philhealth except being close to the President through her father."

Magdalo Representative Gary Alejano said, "This shows the kind of appointment the president has. He appoints, he fires."

Alejano said government posts have now become means to pay back friends and supporters. "The more often he fires his appointees the more people he can pay his debt of gratitude," the lawmaker said. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Gabriela Women's Party did not mince words as it criticized President Rodrigo Duterte for kissing on overseas Filipino worker (OFW) in South Korea. 

"Gabriela views President Duterte's recent kissing of a migrant Filipina during his meet-and-greet with Filipino OFWs in South Korea as the disgusting theatrics of a misogynist president who feels entitled to demean, humiliate, or disrespect women according to his whim," said the party in a statement on Monday, June 4.

The day before, Duterte ended his meeting with the Filipino community in South Korea by kissing a female OFW on the lips.

Duterte had called two female OFWs to join him onstage to receive a copy of Altar of Secrets: Sex, Politics, and Money in the Philippine Catholic Church, a book by the late Aries Rufo, who was a Rappler senior investigative reporter. The President has repeatedly shown a copy of this book to mock the Catholic Church.

The President received cheers from the audience after he kissed the OFW, but many netizens were disgusted by his act.

The Facebook page of CinEmotion Digital Films later uploaded a video of the same OFW explaining to the camera that the kiss had "no malice." This is despite the mother of two children saying she is married to a South Korean.

Gabriela, a party advocating for women's rights, found this alarming.

"It is unfortunate that the woman found it her obligation to publicly defend the act as 'no malice,' when it is the President who is duty-bound to explain not only because it was upon his prodding but he is bound, as a public official, by rules of ethics to explain his unruly conduct," said the party.

According to Gabriela, Duterte's kiss was supposedly intended to "divert the people from the real and pressing issues of the country."

"His repeated acts of machismo is meant as entertainment to hide the reality of his rapidly slipping popularity due to the issues of extrajudicial killings, the [tax reform] law, and the big-time corruption scandals now plaguing his rule," said the party.

"It is also his own perverted way of getting back at his women critics, his way of proving he can dominate women at any time and any place he chooses. It is his way of publicly exhibiting his contempt for women," added Gabriela. (READ: From 'fragrant' Filipinas to shooting vaginas: Duterte's top 6 sexist remarks) – Rappler.com

Editor's Note: An earlier version of the story identified two suspects based on a wrongly worded police report. We have made the necessary changes after the Quezon City police issued a clarification.

MANILA, Philippines (3rd UPDATE) – An Ombudsman prosecutor was stabbed to death Monday, June 4, police said. 

According to an initial police report, Madonna Joy Ednaco Tanyag, assistant special prosecutor (ASP) at the Office of the Ombudsman, was stabbed at around 11:20 am in front of a lottery outlet located along Visayas Avenue in Barangay Vasra, Quezon City. 

Tanyag was declared dead at the East Avenue Medical Center by a certain Doctor Julio Rafael Santos at 12:04 pm.

Investigators on top of the case said the suspects have yet to be nabbed, and the motive of the incident has yet to be established. 

In a statement released to reporters on Monday, the Office of the Ombudsman announced that it had asked the PNP for a thorough investigation, "and to ensure that the perpetrators are immediately caught."

"The Office will leave no stone unturned in solving the case. The Office extends its deepest condolences to the family of ASP Tanyag," it said.  – Rappler.com 

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (UPDATED) – Madagascar's prime minister announced his resignation on Monday, June 4, in the first step towards the naming of a "consensus" premier to resolve a political crisis sparked by controversial electoral reforms.

Madagascar has been rocked by violent protests since April 21 that initially sought to oppose the new laws the opposition said were crafted to bar their candidates from participating in elections planned for later this year.

The Constitutional Court has ordered President Rajaonarimampianina to form a government of national unity with a "consensus prime minister" to avert a full-blown crisis. For that to happen, the current government was required to resign and the president was ordered to name a new prime minister by June 12.

"I will tender my resignation to the president today. As a statesman, I cannot be an obstacle to the life of the nation," Olivier Mahafaly Solonandrasana told a press briefing.

"I resign willingly and with happiness. I have no regrets today and I can leave with my head held high."

"I will leave this magnificent palace, (but) I tell you this is not 'goodbye'," he added without giving details of his future plans. 

No successor to Solonandrasana has yet been named. – Rappler.com

KABUL, Afghanistan – A suicide blast has taken place near a gathering of top clerics in Afghanistan's Kabul, shortly after they issued a fatwa against the ongoing conflict which called such attacks a sin, the capital's police spokesman said Monday, June 4.

"Our initial information shows that the suicide attack took place when guests were exiting the hall" where the meeting was taking place at around 11.30 am (0700 GMT)," police spokesman Hashmat Stanikzai told local broadcaster Tolo News. 

"Unfortunately there are casualties, killed and wounded, but we don't know how many."

The blast detonated outside the hall, he said. A security source confirmed it had been a suicide attack. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine National Police (PNP) arrested the alleged live-in partner of Ozamiz City Councilor-turned-fugitive Ricardo "Ardot" Parojinog.

Led by police chief Director General Oscar Albayalde, the PNP presented Mena Luansing during a Camp Crame press conference on Monday, June 4. She was nabbed by Parañaque cops and intelligence operatives at 7 am on Sunday, June 3.

According to Albayalde, cops have yet to question her about the alleged criminal activities of the Parojinog family. Family patriarch Reynaldo Parojinog and 14 others were shot down in a July 30, 2017 police drug raid.

Big arrest? Luansing is considered by the PNP as a high-value target because of her alleged links with the embattled Parojinog clan. She was arrested by virtue of warrants of arrest issued by Judge Edmundo Pinlac of Ozamis City Regional Trial Court Branch 15 over cases accusing her of illegal possession of firearms.

She served as a provincial board member of Misamis Occidental until she supposedly resigned in January 2018. PNP chief Albayalde said she was in Manila to hide from police watch in Northern Mindanao (Region 10).

Cops also arrested Luansing's alleged coddler Jonas Galamita Cablitas, accused of obstructing the apprehension and prosecution of an alleged criminal. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Amid numerous complaints against him, former president Benigno Aquino III said it has crossed his mind that he could also suffer the same fate as Senator Leila de Lima, who is currently detained over drug charges.

Aquino was responding to reporters' questions in a press conference on Monday, June 4, after appearing before state prosecutors.

"Hindi natin maiwasang mag-isip ng gano'n," said the former president. (I can't help but think of that possibility.)

Aquino cited several questionable, controversial instances. First, he cited the use of drug convicts' testimonies in the case of De Lima, who was his justice secretary.

"Mga taong convicted of crimes, normally 'di kasama as a reliable witness. Ang problema, 'yung taong 'yun 'pag convicted ng criminal offenses, para namang 'di na mag-e-expect magsasabi ng whole truth and nothing but the truth. Pero 'yun ang ginamit kay Leila," Aquino said.

(Those convicted of crimes are normally not considered reliable witnesses. The problem is a convicted person is not expected to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth. But they used convicts' testimonies against Leila.)

He also reiterated that the Supreme Court (SC) decision to oust former chief justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, whom he appointed in 2012, was unconstitutional.

"May issue din tayo sa pagtanggal kay Chief Justice Sereno.... Masyadong pilit 'yung naging desisyon, na 'yung 'may' [in the 1987 Constitution is] permissive daw, may iba raw paraan [to remove an impeachable official]," the former president said.

(We also have an issue with the ouster of Chief Justice Sereno.... The decision was forced, their saying that the use of "may" in the 1987 Constitution is permissive and that there are other ways allowed to remove an impeachable official.)

He also slammed the forum shopping of the pro-administration group, Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC), for filing similar complaints before the Department of Justice, the Office of the Ombudsman, and the Commission on Elections over the P3.5-billion Dengvaxia program.

Aquino lamented how the National Bureau of Investigation is also investigating him over the dengue vaccine, even as the NBI is an attached agency of the DOJ. He also said that his case should be handled by the Ombudsman, citing the salary grade requirement.

"'Yung DOJ, 'di ko alam 'pag natapos sila, ifo-forward ba sa Ombudsman lahat ng findings nila? Pero in the process, iimbestigahan ka ng Ombudsman, iimbestigahan ka ng DOJ. Tapos sa DOJ mismo, parang meron tayong summons from NBI eh.... So, magtatanong si NBI, malamang itatanong ng DOJ pareho.... Puwede ba makiusap isa na lang sa inyo?" the former president said.

(I don't know if the DOJ will forward its findings to the Ombudsman. But in the process, the Ombudsman and the DOJ are both investigating me. At the DOJ level, we also got a summons from the NBI.... So the NBI and the DOJ will probably ask the same questions.... Can I request that only one of them investigate the matter?)

"At the end of the day, the only weapon we have is the truth. And the truth, with the help of God, we will overcome these challenges," he added.

One of the complainants, Manuelito Luna, was the VACC's lawyer who was later appointed to the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC). (READ: Aquino camp hits VACC 'pattern': File cases vs ex-president, get gov't post)

Luna did not attend Monday's preliminary investigation and failed to secure the services of a counsel. However, the DOJ allowed lawyer-representatives of the VACC to make a manifestation on behalf of Luna.

"Si Attorney Luna kaharap namin do'n sa Comelec at counsel siya at the time of VACC. Tapos dito [sa complaint sa DOJ], inulit niya. Since he was appointed already, 'di na sya counsel, [but] he's still pursuing the case in his personal capacity," Aquino said.

(We faced Attorney Luna at the Comelec when he was still counsel of the VACC. He again filed a complaint before the DOJ. Since he was appointed already, he's no longer the counsel, but he's still pursuing the case in his personal capacity.)

"And it's so important to him that he failed to attend today and failed to secure the services of a representative pero important daw (but he said it's important). 'Di lang naman siya ang na-appoint na nagkakaso sa amin. This is the way na mapansin ka at ma-appoint ka (He's not the only one who got appointed after filing a case against us. This is the way to be noticed and to get appointed)," Aquino added.

The VACC, along with the Vanguard of the Philippine Constitution Incorporated (VPCI), accused Aquino, former budget secretary Florencio Abad, and former health secretary Janette Garin of graft, technical malversation, criminal negligence, and "other violations of law" after the school-based dengue vaccination program was launched by the Department of Health (DOH) in April 2016.

Aquino denied the accusations and maintained he did nothing wrong or illegal. He also said there is still no proof that Dengvaxia directly caused the deaths of vaccinated children. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The government is eyeing coconuts as the main crop produce of Boracay, once the island is subjected to agrarian reform.

“We talked to an agricultural engineer and based on the soil, coconut is the most conducive for Boracay,” Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Undersecretary David Erro said on Monday, June 4.

President Rodrigo Duterte once again reiterated that he wanted the entire island under land reform. 

Erro said the agency wanted beneficiaries to provide a “steady supply” of goods.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, coconut is among the leading agricultural export products of the country, along with banana and pineapple.

As of 2016, the wholesale price of wholesale copra is at P25.59 per kilo on average, while mature nuts retail at P22.20.

The agency has already identified some 80 indigenous people (IPs) who are qualified to be land reform beneficiaries.

3 phases

DAR has prepared a draft Executive Order that would be submitted to Duterte during the next Cabinet meeting on June 11.

The agency said agrarian reform in Boracay will be conducted in 3 phases. The first phase, which involves 25 hectares in barangays Yapak, Balabag, and Manoc Manoc, will be executed “immediately” since there are no structures in these areas.  

MANILA, Philippines – The country's top defense official repeated President Rodrigo Duterte's defeatist stance against  China's aggressiveness in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) in the wake of new reports of harassment.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the Philippines has no capability to defend the country's maritime territories and troops can only watch if China blocks the military's resupply missions to outposts there.

"At present, we don't have any capability to even to just demonstrate to others that we are capable. We are not capable. We don't have the capital ships. We don't have the weapons," Lorenzana said in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC) aired on Monday morning, June 4.  

"If they block our people from resupplying our outposts there in the Spratlys, then what can we do?," Lorenzana said. 

The Philippines filed a diplomatic protest against China for harassing a Philippine rubber boat  on its way to resupply Marines occupying a grounded warship in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal.

Lorenzana said the country can only resort to protests, something the government also would rather keep from the public and quietly resolve with China. 

"All we can do now is protest – diplomatic protest, note verbal –  and have a dialogue with China. There's nothing we can do," Lorenzana said.

Magdalo Representative Gary Alejano, a retired Marine officer, divulged how a Chinese chopper hovered "in a close and dangerous distance."

Lorenzana asked Congress for more funds for military modernization. 

"We don't have the capabilities now. We are [working] double time but it depends on the funds that we get from Congress – if they allocate more funds for our modernization program," said Lorenzana. 

Money is not the issue in the case of Pag-asa (Thitu) Island, however. Funds for the repair of the country's airstrip on the island was allocated by the previous Aquino administration but repeated protests from China delayed the project. 

The government finally started work on the airstrip recently. It remains to be seen if repair works will be completed. (READ: PH plans for Pag-asa to test Duterte's friendship with China)

"We are trying to also pave (the airstrip) that so that we can bring in our aircraft anytime. At present, you can only land there after 5 days of sunshine. [Otherwise], it is soggy and you cannot land," said Lorenzana.

"So it will take some time for us to be ready to defend our territories the way we should have defended in the first place," said Lorenzana. – Carmela Fonbuena/Rappler.com 

MANILA, Philippines – Madonna Joy Ednaco Tanyag, the lawyer stabbed to death in front of a lottery outlet in Quezon City, was 5 months pregnant.

This was disclosed by the University of the Philippines (UP) Manila Political Science Program in a Facebook post on Monday, June 4. Tanyag was a student of the program in her undergraduate years.

"Today, our alumna, Assistant State Prosecutor Madonna Joy Ednaco Tanyag, was murdered in broad daylight. She was 5 months pregnant," reads the post, released just hours after Tanyag was declared dead.

Reached for clarification on how the faculty knew, the department, through its Facebook page, said one of their professors knew Tanyag personally.

"The UP Manila Political Science Program condemns this barbaric act in the strongest possible terms. We call on law enforcement authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice, and put an end to the worsening climate of impunity in the country," the department said. – Rappler.com 

MANILA, Philippines – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and South Korean President Moon Jae-in affirmed their countries' "special friendship" during their meeting in Seoul on Monday, June 4.

Both gave statements in front of the media after their restricted meeting at Cheong Wa Dae or Blue House, the official residence of the president of the Republic of Korea.

"Our restricted meeting has shown us that ours is a special relationship that can only grow stronger with political commitment," said Duterte.

"A deeper engagement with South Korea, our long-standing partner and true friend, is essential to further strengthen individual and collective efforts for greater peace, progress, and prosperity," he added.

Duterte had used the term "true friend" to describe another country, Japan, which he thanked for their assistance in the government's efforts to stop violent extremism.

The Philippine President recalled that Koreans and Filipinos fought together during the Korean War. He thanked Seoul for their assistance to Filipino war veterans.

"During the Korean War, we fought side by side in defense of freedom and democracy. That is a legacy that must be remembered and continuously reaffirm," said Duterte.

Moon also acknowledged this shared aspect of their two countries' history.

"The Republic of Korea and the Philippines laid the foundations for solid friendship through the Korean War. On this platform, we have been making remarkable progress for the past 70 years, in every field including politics, economy, culture, and people-to-people exchanges," he said.

Moon was glad to report that South Korea is the Philippines' 5th largest trade partner with two-trade volume reaching 14.3 billion in 2017. Koreans are now also "the most frequent visitors to the Philippines," he said.

The Philippines and South Korea will celebrate 70 years of diplomatic ties in 2019. 

The two leaders' exchange took place before a bilateral meeting that will include some Cabinet members. The meetings are being held on Duterte's second day in Seoul. On Tuesday, June 5, Duterte departs for Manila. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – What karma?

Former president Benigno Aquino III rejected the notion that the fate of ousted chief justice Maria Lourdes Sereno was brought about by his administration's moves against her predecessor, the late Renato Corona.

Aquino was initially hesitant to comment, saying he would rather respect the dead. He later on said the case of Sereno is different from that of Corona, who was impeached by Aquino's allies in the House of Representatives in 2011 and convicted by the Senate in 2012.

"Karma, may kasalanan. Ano'ng kasalanan ko? Siguro 'yun ang first question. Siguro isa lang point na: 'Yung mga nadiskubre do'n [sa complaint], galing sa kanya [Corona] mismo. Siya nagsabi, as opposed to iba naglabas," Aquino said in a press conference on Monday, June 4, after attending a Department of Justice (DOJ) preliminary hearing on Dengvaxia.

(Karma, meaning there was a sin. What's my sin? Maybe that's the first question. I think the point is whatever was discovered, it came from Corona himself. He admitted it, as opposed to others releasing it.)

"Ngayon, karma, so 'yung may kasalanan bibisitahin, babalikan ng kasalanan. Ano'ng kasalanan ni CJ Sereno as far as Corona is concerned? Parang incomplete 'yung kuwento," he said.

(Now, karma, so the one at fault would be haunted by the sin. What was the fault of CJ Sereno as far as Corona is concerned? The story seems incomplete.)

Both Corona and Sereno drew the ire of sitting presidents and were hit by issues involving their Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth. (READ: How similar are the Sereno and Corona impeachment cases?)

Aquino earlier backed moves to oust Corona, who was a known ally of former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Corona was among Arroyo's midnight appointees.

Sereno, meanwhile, was repeatedly lambasted by President Rodrigo Duterte for criticizing his bloody anti-drug campaign.

But Aquino said that unlike Sereno, Corona underwent the constitutional process of impeachment. In contrast, the Supreme Court (SC) ousted Sereno by granting the quo warranto petition of Solicitor General Jose Calida.

"May proseso sila do'n. 'Yung impeachment wala namang katiyakang lulusot sa Kongreso, Senado. Sugal 'yun.... Dinaan sa proseso 'yung nangyari [kay Corona]. Dito parang 'di ko maintindihan 'yung proseso," Aquino said.

(They have a process for that. There is no guarantee that impeachment will move forward in the House and the Senate. That's a gamble.... What happened to Corona underwent a process. In the case of Sereno, I can't understand the process.)

"Kasi 'pag tinignan mo impeachment, nakalagay sa Constitution 'sole'.... Kongreso at saka Senado.... Biglang pasok Supreme Court, na parang 'di ata nakalagay diyan [at] na-divert sa Padre Faura," he added.

(Because if you look at impeachment, the Constitution says "sole"... House and the Senate. But the Supreme Court suddenly came in and the issue was diverted to Padre Faura.)

Aquino reiterated that Sereno's ouster was unconstitutional and "forced."

Sereno earlier appealed the decision against her, seeking the reversal of her colleagues' voting. Opposition senators Leila de Lima and Antonio Trillanes IV also filed a separate motion for reconsideration.

House leaders, meanwhile, have said they would wait for the final decision of the SC before deciding on the articles of impeachment. The Senate, for its part, has so far not taken a united stand on the issue. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Davao is the worst region at solving riding-in-tandem shootings, based on data that Rappler acquired from the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Out of 74 riding-in-tandem killings recorded by cops from October 11, 2017 to May 21, 2018, only 6 have been either solved or cleared. (READ: 4 killed a day by riding-in-tandem gunmen in the Philippines)

The PNP labels a case as solved if at least one suspect has been arrested and taken to court. It calls cases cleared, meanwhile, if at least one suspect has been identified.

This gives Davao a crime solution efficiency rate of 8.11% for riding-in-tandem cases, the lowest out of all regions. The disappointing rate comes despite martial law in Mindanao, which authorities have branded as a big help in maintaining public order and safety.

Davao City, the region's most developed metropolis, is the hometown of President Rodrigo Duterte and is touted to be among the safest in the country.

Davao's poor performance was followed by Metro Manila, which registered a crime solution efficiency rate of 10.68%. Out of 103 riding-in-tandem killings, only 11 have been classified as solved or cleared in the National Capital Region.

The PNP has yet to provide a breakdown of where the shootings happened at the provincial, city, or municipality level, as it had only begun gathering data in October 2017, after cops were removed from the government's bloody anti-drug campaign. – Rappler.com

AKLAN, Philippines – Fewer students attended the first day of school in Boracay on Monday, June 4, because of the 6-month closure of the tourist hot spot. 

In Balabag Elementary School, one of the 6 public schools on the island, only around 1,300 students enrolled this year, from 1,700 in 2017. 

School principal Sajid Pelayo said parents of around 300 students had already signified their intent to transfer schools due to the 6-month closure order.

Pelayo said they were expecting students from private schools, who could no longer afford the tuition, to transfer to public schools. Their school, however, still turned out lacking in enrollees.

Still, when Boracay reopens to the public, the principal said they still expect some students to re-enroll in Balabag Elementary School.

Pelayo said parents should still enroll their children in public schools despite Boracay's closure. He also said that school supplies had already been donated for students to use.

"Ngayon, kung baon lang ang problema, magagawan naman 'yan ng paraan ng magulang. Hindi dahilan 'yung kahirapan lalo na sa education. Satin sa school, very considerate tayo sa ganyan," he said. (Now, if the allowance is the problem, the parents can find a way. Poverty is not an excuse especially when it comes to education. In this school, we are very considerate.)

The Department of Education's Office of Assistant Schools Division Superintendent (ASDS) in Aklan told Rappler that school heads had initially reported a decrease in number of students in their respective schools.

But official enrollment turnout for Boracay schools will be finalized over the course of the week. Some parents are still enrolling, they said.

Survival

Neneng Fernandez, 38, was able to enroll 4 of her 7 children in school this June, thanks to government aid. But two of them – one in elementary and one in kindergarten – had to stop schooling in the meantime.

Fernandez availed of the Department of Social Welfare and Development educational assistance, and had worked for the emergency work program of the Department of Labor and Employment.

The social welfare department had already provided P910,000 worth of educational assistance to 456 Boracay residents as of May 25.

"Naibigay para sa mga bata na P3,000 na student assistance. Eksakto lang para makakuha ka ng pambili ng uniform at school supplies," Fernandez told Rappler. (We were given P3,000 worth of student assistance for my children. It's only enough to buy uniform and school supplies.)

"Pero yung pang sa Monday na pambaon ng mga bata araw-araw, 'yun ang problema," she added. (But their everyday pocket money starting Monday, that would be the problem.)

Fernandez used to be a masseuse at a major hotel near her home in Balabag village. She used to earn around P1,000 to P1,500 per day.

Now, she had to budget her small earning of P323 for 30 days when she worked for DOLE.

In the meantime, Fernandez said she would borrow money and ask her children to walk going to school. She hopes that additional expenses for school projects would come when she has money to spend.

"Wala talaga eh. Tiis-tiis lang muna," she said. (We have nothing. We really have to endure.)

Starting April 26, Boracay Island was closed to tourists due to environmental problems. President Rodrigo Duterte placed 3 villages under state of calamity – Manoc-Manoc, Balabag, and Yapak – to fast-track rehabilitation in the island. (READ: INSIDE STORY: How Duterte decided on Boracay closure)

Most businesses had already temporarily stopped operations, leaving around 36,000 residents and workers affected by the shutdown.– Rappler.com

KAFR NAHA, Syria – At an unlikely cat shelter in rebel-held northern Syria, Mohammed Alaa al-Jaleel gently holds a feline patient on her back as an ultrasound probe is rolled across her pregnant belly.

In a time of war, she is one of hundreds to have received medical attention at the makeshift animal clinic in Kafr Naha, an opposition-held town in Aleppo province.

"If you want to show mercy to people, start by showing mercy to everything else," says Jaleel, who runs Ernesto's Cat Sanctuary – named after his favorite furry friend.

The 43-year-old, who grew up in Syria's second city Aleppo, has been mad about cats since he was a boy.

As a young adult in the city, he would drop by the butchers on his way home from work as an electrician to ask for scraps to feed street cats in his neighborhood.

When war broke out in 2011, he put down his tools to become an ambulance driver to help ferry the wounded – but never stopped bringing food to his feline friends.

As the war raged on and cat lovers fled the city, Jaleel was left with 170 cats to feed and a new nickname: the Cat Man of Aleppo.

With the help of donations from friends and social media fans, he set up his first cat sanctuary in the city.

But in late 2016, the regime ramped up its deadly bombardment of Aleppo's opposition-held neighbourhoods as it sought to regain control of the whole city.

"We started fleeing from neighborhood to neighborhood until, in the end, we escaped the city altogether," Jaleel recalls.

Sukhoi, the cat

Determined not to leave them behind, he and fellow feline fans managed to save 22 of the city's cats.

"We gave each family two cats in a plastic vegetable basket," Jaleel says.

Among them was Sukhoi, named after the stealth fighter jets of regime ally Russia.

"He would zip in and grab food from right under the noses of the other cats, just like a Sukhoi jet," he tells AFP.

Syria's war has killed more than 350,000 people and displaced more than half its pre-war human population, as well as many of its domestic animals.

After fleeing Aleppo, Jaleel set up his second shelter – named after Ernesto – in early 2017 and housed 18 of the 22 smuggled cats in the animal oasis.

"The cats don't just stay in just one house. They swap with each other and sleep in all of them," Jaleel says, referring to rows of marble cubes with cat-sized entrances, engraved with names like Pouncer and Rose.

Nearby, a grinder churns out streams of bright pink mincemeat that is then scooped out onto plates spread out on the ground for lunchtime.

Eyes closed, a cat with a stripy, light ash coat dips its snow-white nose in, nibbling away.

But the shelter, financed by online crowdfunding campaigns, does more than provide twice-daily meals: it also serves as an animal clinic with its in-house vet.

"We treat all sorts of animals here for free: horses, cows and even chickens," Jaleel says.

During an inventory in January, he and his colleagues discovered they had handed out 7,000 medical prescriptions for free in less than a year.

'Really beautiful'

Mohammad Watar was blown away when he brought in his cat for treatment after food poisoning.

"There are no vets where I live. I asked people and they pointed me to the sanctuary," he says.

"I was so surprised to find this kind of thing existed during this war we're all living," says Watar.

"I saw them treating all sorts of animals. It's really beautiful."

Still, war is never far away: the sanctuary's main building bears the marks of gun fire.

Last month, it cancelled a children's party after a young boy was shot near the shelter, according to its English-language Facebook page.

Footage posted online depicted a man in a cat sanctuary t-shirt carrying a child with blood streaming down his calf.

Even the shelter's cats are treated for war wounds, says the center's vet, Mohammed Yusuf.

"Just like many people are wounded by all the different weapons in the area, animals too suffer the same injuries," he tells AFP.

Some stay under observation at his clinic for weeks, but not all get the treatment they need.

"We're living in a war and facing severe shortages of veterinary medicines for wounds as well as vaccines," Yusuf says.

In a time of death and destruction, the pride of the sanctuary is its ability to carry out sonograms of animal mothers-to-be.

"We examine them and diagnose how many foetuses there are and when they are due, and we prepare to welcome the new births," Yusuf says. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Audit (COA) ordered former vice president Jejomar Binay and his son, former Makati City mayor Jejomar Erwin "Junjun" Binay Jr, among others, to refund P2.292 billion used for a controversial Makati parking building. 

The Binay camp said on Monday, June 4, that they will appeal these "belated but not surprising" COA findings.

The two notices of disallowance from COA's fraud audit office also covered private contractors and other city officials linked to the Makati City Hall Parking Building II project. (READ: Binay's Makati building overshoots approved budget) 

COA disallowed the following: 

• the complete P2.28 billion released for the building construction project by Hilmarc's Construction Corporation
• another P11.975 million paid to MANA Architecture and Interior Design Company for engineering and architectural services

COA rules state that individuals held liable should refund the full amount.

The Binays already face criminal charges for graft, falsification of public documents, and malversation of public funds at the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan. These charges also include Makati City officials and the involved private contractors' executives. 

The younger Binay, Junjun, was held liable for the bigger chunk of the building contract. This involved Phase 3 worth P599.994 million; Phase 4 worth P649.934 million; and Phase 5 worth P143.806 million – a total of P1.394 billion.

Contracts for phases 3 to 5 were approved during his term as Makati City mayor.

The former vice president, meanwhile, faced questions for approving Phase 1, which was worth P386.998 million; and Phase 2, worth P499.357 million. Combined, both were worth P886.355 million.

Binay camp: No due process

In a statement, Binay spokesperson Joey Salgado stressed that these projects "were previously subjected to COA audits and there were no adverse findings."

"The COA only started singing a different tune – in effect questioning the competence of its own people  – when the previous administration began its political demolition work on former VP Binay and his family," Salgado said.

"Former VP Binay and former mayor Junjun intend to appeal COA's findings, even if belated but not surprising," he added.

Salgado also pointed out that COA "released to the Ombudsman its fraud audit findings before it issued its notice of disallowance."

"This violates the agency's own COA memorandum, Memorandum 2015-007 dated April 16, 2015, prescribing the guidelines in the conduct of a special fraud audit. The said fraud audit findings were used by the Ombudsman in filing the case now pending before the Sandiganbayan," Salgado said.

He also noted that "there were no audit observation findings (AOM) and notice of suspension (NS) issued by COA on the construction of the Makati Parking Building, which COA should have done in the first place."

"COA denied former VP Binay and former mayor Junjun their basic right to due process when it issued the fraud audit report without giving them the opportunity to respond to the notice of disallowance. Until and after their appeal of the disallowance is resolved, the fraud audit report cannot be enforced by COA," Salgado said. – Rappler.com

HONG KONG, China – Crowds assembled in Hong Kong on Monday in memory of the victims of China's Tiananmen Square crackdown but young activists are increasingly questioning the annual vigil's relevance.

Semi-autonomous Hong Kong has seen tens of thousands gather at the candlelit vigil in Victoria Park since 1990, while any mention of Beijing's brutal crackdown on students calling for democracy on June 4, 1989, remains strictly censored in the mainland.

Organized by the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China, a group of veteran campaigners, the vigil has always had the democratization of China as its central message.

However, since mass student-led Umbrella Movement rallies failed to win political reform for Hong Kong in 2014, more young activists and students have turned to "localism," which focuses on local identity and autonomy and tends to reject any associations with China.

Some pro-independence activists call for a complete split from the mainland.

As a result, student unions in Hong Kong have boycotted the Tiananmen vigil for the past three years.

"China's progress for democracy is really slow, and rather hopeless. If (the democracy movements of China and Hong Kong) are interlinked, wouldn't that in turn negate Hong Kong's progress?" the president of the University of Hong Kong's student union, Wong Ching-fung, told local media last week.

A public opinion poll by the University of Hong Kong found that the proportion of people who think Hong Kongers have "a responsibility to instigate the development of democracy in China" has dropped from 58 percent to 56 percent this year.

The proportion of those who believe Hong Kongers do not have a responsibility to do so has climbed steadily since 2014 to 31 percent this year.

Although tens of thousands still turn up to the park, numbers have fallen and small alternative events are popping up around the city.

However, those who were there Monday said they still felt a duty to pay tribute to the demonstrators who had died when Chinese authorities sent in tanks to crush a peaceful seven-week sit-in to demand democratic reforms.

Hundreds – by some estimates more than a thousand – were killed.

"If it's not discussed, and the younger generation does not know about it, the memory of June 4 will weaken after a while," teacher Karen Hung, 38, told AFP at the vigil.

Retiree Sammy Au, 71, said he did not feel the vigil was about democratizing China but was a tribute to the "selfless" acts of the students who died.

"If I were the last person remaining, I would still come out," he told AFP.

The vigil came as two pro-independence former lawmakers were given four-week jail sentences Monday for participating in a fracas in the legislature in 2016.

A number of activists have been prosecuted on protest-related charges since the 2014 rallies as concerns grow that Hong Kong's freedoms are under threat from Beijing. – Rappler.com