MAE SAI, Thailand – A treacherous rescue bid to free a youth football team trapped in a flooded Thai cave entered its second day Monday, July 9, with 9 of the "Wild Boars" still inside after elite divers guided four out.

Looming rain was one of the main enemies of the operation, threatening to flood the cave complex in mountainous northern Thailand, although a bewildering array of other dangers could also doom their safe return.

Thailand has waited anxiously for news of the safe return of the boys and their 25-year-old coach since they became trapped in the Tham Luang cave complex on June 23, in a saga that has dominated global headlines.

They spent 9 days unaccounted for inside the cave, before British divers found the emaciated and dishevelled group huddling on a muddy bank.

On Sunday 4 members of the "Wild Boar" team were successfully brought out from the cave, after authorities decided they had to rush ahead with a rescue operation to beat monsoon rains.

They were guided by expert divers who plotted the hours-long escape through more than 4 kilometers of twisting passageways and flooded chambers.

Rescue chief Narongsak Osottanakorn on Sunday said 4 of the team – affectionately dubbed by Thai social media Wild Boars 1,2,3,4 – were "safe" but released few details about their condition or identities.

He said the extraction effort would likely resume early Monday.

"We've been working continuously overnight," a Chiang Rai government source told AFP on Monday morning, requesting anonymity, and confirming that there had only been a pause of the actual extraction operations.

Agonizing wait

With authorities releasing few details of the rescue bid, parents continued their agonizing wait to be reunited with their sons.

"I am still waiting here at the cave, keeping my fingers crossed to see whether my son will be one of those to come out today," Akkarat Wongsukjan, a mother of Pheerapat – known by his nickname "Night" – told AFP.

"We heard 4 boys are out but we do not know who they are. Many parents are still here waiting. None of us has been informed of anything."

But she added she was "happy" at the prospect of seeing her son again.

To get the boys out, divers will be forced by the narrow passages to accompany them one at a time.

None of the boys have scuba diving experience and experts have warned they could easily panic while swimming underwater in darkness.

The lack of space has added complexity to storing enough canisters of oxygen along the route out.

The death of a former Thai Navy SEAL diver who ran out of oxygen in the cave on Friday underscored the danger of the journey even for professionals.

Ambulances arrived early Monday at the cave entrance.

The hordes of global and local media have been kept back from the cave and the hospital in Chiang Rai where the boys are believed to be under observation.

Night's relatives have said they believe the group went to the cave to celebrate his 16th birthday after a Saturday football practice and got caught as heavy rains caused the water inside the cave to suddenly rise.

A frantic rescue mission was hatched in the week since they were found.

Expert climbers, divers and Thai Navy Seals have mulled contingencies ranging from drilling an escape route through the mountain to waiting out the monsoon inside the cave.

But the rescue was prodded into action by the threat of a fresh round of rains and falling oxygen levels in the cave. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Police are looking at politics as a possible motive in the murder of Trece Martires Vice Mayor Alexander Lubigan, as he revealed his plan to run for mayor a day before he was gunned down in broad daylight on Saturday, July 7.

Aside from the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) was also pursuing this angle.

Speaking to reporters in an ambush interview in Camp Crame Monday, July 9, Calabarzon police director Chief Superintendent Edward Carranza said Lubigan had told people from his "inner circle" on Friday, July 6, that he would run for mayor in 2019.

This was seconded by DILG Officer-in-Charge Eduardo Año in a television interview, emphasizing that politics was a "strong motive" in the case.

"Kahit sa pamilya 'yun ang nakikita nila (political motive), and there were incidents in the past na si Vice Mayor 'di na umaattend ng flag raising," Carranza said. (Even the family suspects a political motive, and there were incidents in the past that he hasn't been attending the flag raising.)

Carranza said Lubigan has already maxed out his 3 terms as vice mayor and had already set his sights on a higher position.

According to Carranza, they have 3 persons of interest in mind who could probably be behind the killing of Lubigan. He refused to name them, though, as the probe moved forward.

Carranza said incumbent mayor, Melandres de Sagun, has been invited for questioning on "the political climate" of Trece Martires. De Sagun, however, is still unavailable because he is abroad.

De Sagun has also maxed out his 3-term limit in his post. He and Lubigan were running mates under the United Nationalist Alliance party during the 2016 elections. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Lawmakers forming the bicameral conference committee on the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) gave assurances Monday, July 9, they would produce a final version that is constitutional.

Senate Majority Leader Miguel Zubiri and House Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas said this on Monday, July 9, at the start of their week-long bicam meetings on the BBL. (READ: Difficult work ahead to reconcile Senate, House versions of BBL)

“We will have to ensure that anything that we do and everything that we do will be compliant to the Constitution because, surely, this will be challenged. So it is our task to see to it that whatever we will agree [on] and come up here will have to pass the test of constitutionality,” said Fariñas.

Zubiri, who also chairs the bicameral conference committee on the BBL, gave the same sentiments: “In performing our duties, let the following be our guideposts: Constitutionality – the Constitution being the supreme law of the land sets both the latitude and delimitations of what we can incorporate in this basic law,” said Zubiri. 

The senator said the bicam would also “give the widest latitude” in reconciling the House and Senate versions of the BBL “within the limits set by the Constitution and other laws.” 

Zubiri said the bicam must also ensure the finalized version of the BBL would be acceptable to the Bangsamoro people and help bring about peace and development in the region. (READ: Final version of BBL holds fate of Mindanao peace process) 

“This law must correct the injustices and prejudices against our Muslim brethren. It must accord them equal respect and opportunity in order to advance in life,” he said.  

Questions have been raised against the possible constitutional violations of the BBL, including its proposed parliamentary system, implementation of Shariah laws, and giving cities and provinces sharing a common border with the Bangsamoro to join the plebiscite, among others.

The House and Senate already removed several provisions in the BBL version first crafted by the Bangsamoro Transition Commission. But the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and other stakeholders want these provisions retained. 

Senate President Vicente Sotto III suggested the constitutional issues must be tackled first during the bicam. The other contentious and controversials provisions can be treshed out later in the week.

“Basta importante, ’yong mga constitutional issues, ma-resolve. Sapagkat ’yon ’yong kinakabahan tayo na baka pumasa man sa amin, i-ratify man namin, i-question sa Supreme Court, nabaril. Mahirap naman,” he said. 

(What’s important is for the constitutional issues to be resolved. That’s the part we are nervous about, because even if the bill gets our approval and we ratify it, the Supreme Court may shoot it down. That’s a problem.)

The bicam is being held closed-doors at the Grand Ballroom A of Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria. Reporters were briefly allowed to enter the hall to listen to the opening statements on Monday. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Opposition senators called for an investigation into the repeated landings of Chinese military aircraft in President Rodrigo Duterte's hometown of Davao City.

The minority bloc filed Senate Resolution No. 779 on Monday, July 9, seeking to determine if the successive "technical stops" violated the constitutional prohibition on the presence of foreign troops in the country.

The bloc is composed of Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon and senators Leila de Lima, Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, Risa Hontiveros, Francis Pangilinan, and Antonio Trillanes IV.

"The successive occurrence of Chinese military planes making technical stops in Davao City raises the question of whether the Constitution's proscription against the presence of foreign troops in the country is being violated by the Duterte administration," the bloc said in their 5-page resolution.

They cited Article 18, Section 25 of the 1987 Constitution, which prohibits foreign military bases, troops, or facilities in the country except under a treaty duly concurred with by the Senate and, when necessary, ratified by the Filipino people.

The opposition pointed out that the Philippines has no existing treaty with China on the use of Philippine military and civilian facilities by the latter's military aircraft.

In the absence of such a treaty, the minority senators said "there is a need to clarify the role of the DND (Department of National Defense) and the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) in approving, monitoring, and overseeing the transit, passage, presence, and use of Philippine facilities by foreign military aircraft."

Special Assistant to the President Bong Go earlier confirmed that a Chinese government plane landed at the Davao International Airport on June 8. The aircraft was identified as People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) military transport plane IL-76.

Go said the landing was done so that the plane could refuel. Permission "was granted and given with specific conditions for compliance by the requesting party."

Weeks after, Malacañang confirmed that another plane landed on June 23 in Davao City.

"The circumstances of the Chinese military aircraft landing in Davao City, of all airports in the Philippines, is giving rise to speculations that [their] use of of Davao City airport's facilities is a personal favor granted by the President to China without the knowledge of the AFP, the latter being completely ignorant and clueless of the details of the presence of foreign military aircraft in one of the country's gateways," opposition senators said in their resolution.

Trillanes earlier said the June 8 landing was not the first time, citing an unnamed source from the Philippine Military Academy. He said the first instance happened a "few weeks" before it was reported.

Senator Panfilo Lacson, a member of the majority bloc, also previously questioned the landing of the military plane and warned that it has security implications.

"What if a hundred Chinese military aircraft suddenly request to refuel simultaneously in NAIA (Ninoy Aquino International Airport), Mactan airport, Davao, Cagayan de Oro, and Clark? We might all wake up a colony again, this time by China," Lacson had said.

The Senate has yet to conduct a probe into China’s militarization of the South China Sea, as well as the Duterte administration's foreign policy. (READ: Senate inaction on China: No inquiry amid militarization)

Senate foreign relations committee chairperson Loren Legarda earlier told Rappler she has scheduled a hearing on July 30, a week after Duterte's 3rd State of the Nation Address. It is unclear if Senate Resolution No. 779 would be included in that inquiry. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration refers to its “Build, Build, Build” as the “most ambitious infrastructure program in the history of the country,” but it turned out the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) fell way below target and even cost the government millions in bank fees.

The Commission on Audit (COA) report on the DPWH for 2017 revealed that P73.351 billion worth of infrastructure projects were either delayed, suspended, terminated, or unimplemented.

The delay and non-implementation of projects also resulted in a very low utilization of funds for the DPWH, which cost the agency P27.647 million in commitment fees to banks.

“This indicates that management was not able to effectively manage the increasing amount of funds entrusted to the agency due to low physical delivery of target project and activities,” state auditors said.

Delays, non-implementation

This is the breakdown of the P73.351 billion worth of projects which were delayed, suspended, terminated, or not implemented.

• 2,334 projects worth P62.588 billion were not completed within specific contract time
• 135 projects worth P6.073 billion suspended
• 15 projects worth P2.104 billion terminated
• 815 projects worth P2.584 billion unimplemented

The projects consist of flood control systems, school buildings, farm-to-market roads, and others.

COA urged the DPWH to review the contracts, and determine if damages should be charged upon contractors for the delayed projects, if there are contracts that should be terminated, and contractors that should be blacklisted.

COA observed that the DPWH did not charge contractors damages in 120 delayed projects worth P6.665 billion.

Factors for the delays and terminations varied from permit issues, to weather issues, to inadequate planning.

“The above issues were also noted in the prior years’ audit reports, however, the audit recommendation to conduct thorough detailed engineering and adequate project monitoring and supervision were not strictly observed, hence the recurrence of delays in project implementation,” COA said.

Underutilized

“Build, Build, Build” was the center of the so-called "Dutertenomics,"  pitched as the multi-trillion-peso plan to transform the Philippines into a high-middle income economy by 2022. 

The idea was to create jobs, and bring in trillions of pesos in investments, through the ambitions infrastructure program. 

But the audit report shows that delays and non-implementation of projects resulted in a low utilization of billions of funds, causing some of it to be invalidated and returned to the national treasury.

In 2017, the DWPH was allotted P662.690 billion.

Of that amount, the DPWH obligated P610.933 billion. Obligated means the government has already committed to pay P610.933 billion for the projects. The total unobligated amount of P51.757 billion was reverted back to the treasury.

Of the P610.933 billion obligated amount, the DPWH had managed to disburse or actually spend only P222.661 billion, or 33.6% of the allotment.

“It bears emphasizing that the delay or non-implementation of the national road networks, flood control projects and other maintenance and construction services of the agency deprived the intended beneficiaries of the immediate access to safe and reliable road network systems, school buildings, and health facilities and reduced vulnerability to flooding,” said the COA.

The DPWH also ended up paying P27.647 million in commitment fees to banks, “which is disadvantageous to the government,” according to auditors.

Because banks cannot charge interest fees if the borrower has not used the loan yet, commitment fees are charged instead. 

DPWH was granted loans for 113 projects related to the following:

• Central Luzon Link Expressway Project
• Arterial Road Bypass Project
• Pasig-Marikina River Channel Improvement Project Phase II
• Flood Risk Management Project for Cagayan River
• Tagolaon River and Imus River
• Road Upgrading and Preservation Project
• Road Improvement and Institutional Development

The projects were assisted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

“Analysis of the utilization of loan proceeds of the above-listed foreign assisted projects revealed that the commitment fees were incurred due to low disbursement rate of loan proceeds in Calendar Year 2017,” said COA. 

State auditors urged DPWH to prepare a catch-up plan to ensure the projects will be implemented on schedule.

COA also flagged the DPWH for P326.31 million worth of school buildings which cannot be used due to various issues. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte will ask the Consultative Committee (Con-Com) and Congress to insert a provision in their proposed constitution that would make it impossible for him to run for president again under the new charter.

This "special request" will be communicated to Congress, said Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque during a Malacañang press briefing on Monday, July 9.

"He will ask Congress to put a provision that erases hope that he can run again in another election," said Roque.

He added that Duterte is "okay" with leading the Con-Com's proposed Federal Transition Commission, as long as his mandate will end within his term which is until June 30, 2022.

"He is okay within 2022, within his term of office with the special request to Congress to place a provision there that the incumbent president shall be barred from running or seeking reelection," said Roque.

A Con-Com member, political scientist Julio Teehankee, had said that the committee's proposed constitution does not bar  Duterte from again seeking the presidency after a new charter is ratified as this would mean the 1987 Constitution's one-term limit for the president no longer applies.

But he took this back, saying that there would be "continuity" with the current charter's term limitation and that the draft's provision ruling out term extension also covers reelection.

Duterte reiterated last Friday that he doesn't want his term extended and wants a new president elected under a new constitution.

Duterte is set to receive the Con-Com's proposed constitution on Monday, July 9 in Malacañang. He is expected to review the document before endorsing it to Congress during his State of the Nation Address on July 23. (READ: Highlights of Consultative Committee's draft federal constitution)

Congress is the only constitutionally mandated body that can propose amendments to the Constitution. They can choose to adopt the Con-Com's draft in parts or entirely, or set it aside completely.– Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Senate minority bloc sought an immediate investigation into the Duterte administration's plan to air Filipino-dubbed Chinese shows and movies on state-run People's Television Network (PTV) starting this August.

Opposition senators filed Senate Resolution No. 780, urging the committee on public information and mass media to look into the government's plan, as it could be "an insidious agenda" to advance propaganda of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Senator Grace Poe heads the committee.

"Airing Chinese shows on our state-run network poses a danger of spreading Chinese propaganda sanctioned by our government through our official media stations," the senators said in their resolution.

"The continued tolerance and leniency of our government to Chinese intervention in our political and economic life... now to be reinforced with the airing of Chinese government propaganda in our government-owned media, signifies the clear and present danger of Chinese domination in the Philippines, short of an invasion," they added.

The minority bloc is composed of Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon and senators Leila de Lima, Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, Risa Hontiveros, Francis Pangilinan, and Antonio Trillanes IV.

On June 13, Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua announced the agreement between Manila and Beijing. Zhao said these Chinese shows may inspire Filipino viewers to learn how China attained "steady economic growth, improved their people's lives, and have secured regional peace and security."

The opposition, however, pointed out that the airing of these shows may subtly inculcate among Filipinos the authoritarian, one-party state, anti-democratic, and atheist ideology and principles of the CCP. (READ: Alejano tags airing of Chinese shows in PTV as PH 'surrender' to China)

"It is incumbent upon the government to shield the broadcast industry from any form of intrusive and invasive foreign agenda of domination, control, and brainwashing of the Filipino people, be it subtle or explicit," the minority senators said.

PTV, they added, is mandated to prioritize television programs that foster patriotism and nationalism in every Filipino citizen, and not to spread propaganda of a foreign government like the communist China.

Under Republic Act No. 7306, also known as the Charter of the People's Television Network, PTV is mandated to "develop the broadcasting industry as a medium for development, promotion and advancement of Filipino nationalism, culture and values that serve as an instrument in the struggle for Filipino sovereignty, identity, national unity and integration."

This is not the first partnership between Philippine and Chinese state media. In February 2017, the Philippines' Presidential Communications Operations Office and China Radio International signed an agreement to hold training sessions and to share content.

The planned airing of Chinese shows comes as Manila and Beijing remain embroiled in a dispute over the West Philippine Sea, with the China Coast Guard taking fish caught by Filipino fishermen in Panatag Shoal (Scarborough Shoal). (READ: Senate inaction on China: No inquiry amid militarization) – Rappler.com

LONDON, United Kingdom – Britain's Prince Louis, the baby son of Prince William and his wife Kate, is due to be christened at a private ceremony at St James's Palace in London on Monday, July 9.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the spiritual leader of the world's Anglicans, will lead the service at the Chapel Royal with close friends and family in attendance.

Welby, who will baptize the baby by pouring holy water from the River Jordan over his head, said the event would be "very nerve-wracking" but "a great privilege".

Louis is the 3rd child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and is 5th in the line of succession to the British throne after his grandfather Prince Charles, his father William and his siblings Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

He is also one of Queen Elizabeth II's 7 great-grandchildren.

The service is expected to last 40 minutes, while the list of godparents is expected later on Monday.

The 16th-century chapel, which is not accessible to the public, is where Louis' four-year-old big brother George was christened in 2013.

Charlotte, who is three, was christened in 2015 at the 16th-century Church of St Mary Magdalene on the queen's country estate in Sandringham in eastern England.

Louis was born on April 24 – St. George's Day, England's national day – at St Mary's hospital in central London weighing eight pounds and seven ounces.

Royal fanatics, who had been camped outside the hospital wing for several days in anticipation, jumped for joy and popped open champagne as the news of his birth was announced.

Tony Appleton, a town-crier dressed in a flamboyant red uniform, announced the news from the steps of the hospital to a crowd of supporters and media.

The birth was also announced on the display screen atop the 189-meter BT Tower in London, with the message "It's a boy!" – Rappler.com

ISATANBUL, Turkey – Twenty-four people were killed and hundreds injured when a train packed with weekend passengers derailed in northwest Turkey due to ground erosion afer heavy rains, officials said Monday, July 9.

The train, with over 360 people on board, was travelling from the Edirne region on the Greek and Bulgarian borders to Istanbul's Halkali station on Sunday, July 8, when 6 carriages derailed in the Tekirdag region.

Deputy Prime Minister Recep Akdag said 24 people died, in a sharp rise from the previous toll of 10.

The state-run Anadolu news agency quoted Akdag as saying search operations through the derailed train carriages had been completed Monday morning.

Turkish media quoted Health Minister Ahmet Demircan as saying 338 people required hospital treatment after the accident with 124 still hospitalized.

The transport ministry said that the train, carrying 362 passengers, had derailed as recent heavy downpours caused the ground beneath the track to erode away.

Transport Minister Ahmet Arslan said that the latest checks on the rails had been made in April, Anadolu reported.

Turkish media, including the Hurriyet daily, published pictures showing the erosion had been so bad that part of the track had been in the air with no ground left to support it.

Television pictures showed several train carriages sprawled on their sides, and shocked injured passengers being taken away on stretchers as rescue workers picked through the wreckage.

The train derailed outside the village of Sarilar in the Corlu district of Tekirdag.

'Every available means'

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his condolences over those who lost their lives in the accident that he said has "deeply upset the whole nation".

The accident, one of Turkey's worst train disasters of recent years, threatens to cast a shadow over a lavish ceremony scheduled in Ankara later Monday to mark the inauguration of Erdogan for a new presidential mandate and the transition to a new system of government.

Erdogan said all state institutions were "using every means available to help", vowing that there would be a comprehensive investigation into the "tragic accident", the presidency said.

Turkey's audiovisual authority RTUK later said the government had issued a temporary ban on broadcasting images from the scene. This was lifted on Monday morning.

Turkish authorities under Erdogan have over the last years sought to modernize Turkey's once ramshackle rail network, building several high speed inter-city lines.

Turkish passengers have in general preferred taking planes or buses for inter-city travel but this has been changing with the new high-speed lines.

The train involved in the accident appeared to be one of the slower passenger trains travelling on a single track line.

Turkey's rail network has been hit by several fatal accidents in recent years.

In January 2008, nine people were killed when a train derailed in the Kutahya region south of Istanbul due to faulty tracks.

And in Turkey's worst recent rail disaster, 41 people were killed and 80 injured in July 2004 when a high-speed train derailed in the northwestern province of Sakarya. – Rappler.com

KUMANO, Japan – Desperate relatives braced for bad news Monday as rescuers dug through landslides in the wake of severe floods that have killed 100 people and left swathes of central and western Japan under water.

With the toll mounting, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe cancelled a 4-country foreign trip, local media said, and he was expected to visit affected areas later this week.

As the floods receded, emergency workers reached previously cut-off places where authorities fear they could find more bodies in the wreckage of homes devastated by rivers of mud and debris.

"I have asked my family to prepare for the worst," said Kosuke Kiyohara, 38, as he waited for word of his sister and her two young sons.

"I can't reach her phone," he told AFP, sitting across from a house that had been ripped apart and tossed on its side by a huge landslide.

Rescue workers said it was still possible that survivors could be found, but acknowledged the odds were getting longer.

"It has been 3 days... It's possible that survivors will be found, but as the days pass the likelihood becomes slimmer," a soldier at the scene told AFP.

At the end of last week rivers engorged by more than a meter of rain burst their banks, engulfing entire villages and forcing people to rooftops to await evacuation by helicopter.

Hillsides gave way under the weight of water, with deadly landslides crushing wooden houses and erasing roads.

The government said at least 100 people had been killed, and with many people still missing, the tally was expected to rise further.

Search for survivors

Government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said 73,000 police, firemen and troops were taking part in the rescue effort, with 700 helicopters deployed to help.

In Kumano, soldiers and other emergency workers were using diggers to clear crushed cars and mangled homes and chainsaws to cut up tree trunks.

But they were moving carefully, looking as they went for survivors, or the remains of those killed in the disaster.

In one part of Kumano, the nose of a white car was just visible underneath the top floor of a home that had been torn from the rest of the building and swept down a hillside.

Water was still flowing from the surrounding hillsides around the feet of shellshocked residents, some of whom wept as they saw their damaged district.

In neighboring Okayama prefecture, rescue workers flew in helicopters over areas that are still submerged and otherwise unreachable, looking for signs of life.

"As far as we could see from the helicopter, no-one is now waving for help," a rescue worker from Kurashiki city told AFP.

Local government officials said pumping trucks were being deployed to help restore access to some of the worst-hit areas.

"Rescuers had to go by boat yesterday due to flooding but the water is gradually receding today," a spokeswoman at the area's disaster control office said.

"If the water level drops low enough, they may be able to access hard-hit areas by road or on foot."

Landslide risk

Even as the rains let up, authorities warned the downpours had loosened earth on hillsides and mountain slopes creating new risks.

"We urge residents to remain cautious about possible landslides," a weather agency official told AFP.

And with many people stuck in modestly equipped shelters with few possessions, or living in damaged homes with no running water or electricity, the rising temperatures posed a new problem, authorities said.

At one point around 5 million people were told to evacuate, but the orders are not mandatory and many people remained at home, becoming trapped by rapidly rising water or sudden landslides.

In the town of Mihara, roads were transformed into muddy rivers, with dirt piled up on either side as flood water gushed around the wheels of stranded cars.

"The area became an ocean," 82-year-old resident Nobue Kakumoto told AFP Sunday, surveying the scene.

In the town of Saka, Eiichi Tsuiki opted to stay in his home, and survived only by moving to the top floor as flood waters rose, washing away cars outside.

"I've lived here for 40 years... I've never seen this before," the 69-year-old oyster farmer told AFP. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Audit (COA) flagged the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) for P3.6 million worth of cash advances which are still unliquidated, and for spending P5.4 million on trainings and seminars at hotels inside and outside Metro Manila.

Officers and employees have P1.066 million worth of unliquidated cash advances, while special disbursing officers have P2.565 million worth of unliquidated cash advances.

The cash advances were used for either local and foreign travels, or special projects.

Officers from CHR Eastern Visayas were issued P122,558 worth of cash advances despite the non-liquidation of previous cash advances.

At CHR Zamboanga Peninsula, cash advances were released to employees who were not bonded, "which may result [in] possible loss of government funds," said the auditors.

COA recommended that the CHR impose sanctions on officials who "neglect obligations in handling cash advances in accordance with existing laws, rules and regulations."

Hotel trainings

The CHR also spent P5.404 million for trainings and seminars which were held at hotels, where rooms were also booked for participants, instead of just function rooms.

"CHR could have minimized the incurrence of substantial amount of training expenses had it either provided training venues within the office premises or utilized available resources and government facilities; or had the agency held the 20 seminars/workshops on a non-residential (live-out) basis," COA said.

According to COA's list, the CHR held 13 trainings at hotels and other venues within Metro Manila.

Of those 13, there were 10 held at venues in Quezon City. The CHR office is located along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City.

For finance and administrative capability enhancement training, the CHR spent P557,575 for a 3-day seminar at Brentwood Suites in Quezon City for 64 participants, all of whom are from the central office.

"Athough the training venues/hotels were located within Metro Manila, central office (CO) participants were likewise booked in the hotels; when most of these participants have residences in Metro Manila," the auditors said.

In its response to COA, the CHR said its multipurpose hall cannot be used for training because the Human Rights Victims' Claims Board (HRVCB) occupies the space.

"It was mentioned during the exit conference that the matter will be taken up with the commission en banc to ensure the provision of training rooms within the CHR premises to minimize the cost of training expenses," said COA.

The CHR was almost stripped of its budget at the House committee level of the budget deliberations, but the funding was restored eventually. It was seen as an attack on human rights in the Philippines.– Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Lawmakers are expected to increase the share in government tax revenues of the Bangsamoro region by 5% under the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).

This was disclosed by bicameral conference committee chairperson and Senate Majority Leader Miguel Zubiri to reporters around two hours after their meeting on the BBL started on Monday, July 9. (READ: Final version of BBL must pass ‘test of constitutionality,’ say bicam members) 

Currently, the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) – which the new and more powerful Bangsamoro region will replace under the BBL – gets 70% of the collections of a province or city from national internal revenue, fees, and charges as well as taxes imposed on natural resources. Under Republic Act 9054 or the ARMM Law, the remaining 30% goes to the national government. 

But the Senate version of the proposed BBL decreased this wealth-sharing terms to 50-50, while the House modified it to 75-25. 

Zubiri said the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) disagreed with the Senate proposal because this would mean the Bangsamoro would receive less funds compared to the ARMM. (READ: Final version of BBL holds fate of Mindanao peace process)

“We'll accept the House version. The House version is 75-25. The Senate panel will tend to accept the House version,” said Zubiri.  

The senator said the bicam has so far agreed the proposed BBL must “retain and enhance” the rights and benefits currently being granted to residents of the ARMM. 

“We've reached consensus that whatever was in the ARMM Law, Republic Act 9054, we will retain and hopefully enhance. So, in other words, we do not want an ARMM minus. What we want is an ARMM plus,” said Zubiri.

Apart from the modified wealth-sharing terms, the bicam is also set to retain the territorial waters and in-land bodies of water that are already part of the region under RA 9054.

Zubiri said senators had agreed to remove a provision in the Senate version that would impede the release of the 5% block grant to the Bangsamoro region. 

“What we want to happen here is continue the accountability and transparency measures that we've placed but without the stumbling blocks to the automatic release of the block grant,” said Zubiri.

BTC chairperson and Moro Islamic Liberation vice chairperson Front Ghazali Jaafar said they would only accept a version of the BBL that will not reduce any of the benefits the ARMM already enjoys.

“I don’t think people in the ground can accept at this point in time a BBL that is watered down,” he said. – Rappler.com

YANGON, Myanmar – Two Reuters reporters accused of breaking Myanmar's draconian secrecy law during their reporting of the Rohingya crisis must face trial, a judge ruled Monday, July 9, on a charge that carries up to 14 years in jail.

Myanmar nationals Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, were both "charged under the state secrets act," Judge Ye Lwin told the court, setting a first court date for July 16.

The pair have been held in custody for nearly 7 months for pre-trial hearings. They were arrested in December and accused of possession of leaked sensitive material linked to security operations in crisis-hit Rakhine state.

Reuters says the pair are innocent and were simply doing their job by reporting on a massacre of Rohingya Muslims and has urged the judge to dismiss the case.

But Judge Ye Lwin decided the prosecution had shown enough proof that the men were "collecting evidence" from state officials to proceed the case to trial.

The legal action against them has been lambasted by rights groups and foreign observers as an assault on media freedom and an effort to stifle reporting on the Rohingya crisis.

During pre-trial hearings the prosecution argued the reporters tried to access "secret papers" and therefore deserved punishment under the British colonial-era secrecy law.

The reporters say they were entrapped by police – a version of events seemingly backed up in court by a whistleblowing cop who testified that officers were ordered to set up the reporters.

The pair had been investigating a massacre of 10 Rohingya Muslims at Inn Din village in Rakhine state during last year's military-led crackdown on Rohingya militants.

Before Reuters published its report on the massacre, Myanmar authorities admitted 10 Rohingya men had been arrested and killed illegally at the village, later prosecuting several members of the security forces.

But Myanmar has been at pains to say Inn Din was an isolated incident and not part of a wider campaign of ethnic cleansing directed against the Muslim Rohingya, as the UN and US have alleged.

'Deeply disappointed'

Wa Lone, who has issued a defiant "thumbs up" to waiting journalists at each court appearance, vowed to fight the case.

"We have the right to a defense. The court did not decide we are guilty," he said.

In court, Kyaw Soe Oo denied any wrongdoing saying "I worked as a journalist according to the ethics."

Army operations in August 2017 forced more than 700,000 Rohingya, who are denied citizenship in Myanmar, to flee to Bangladesh.

They took with them harrowing accounts of murder, rape and arson of their villages by Myanmar security forces and mobs of ethnic Rakhine Buddhists.

In March prominent rights lawyer Amal Clooney, the wife of actor George, joined the Reuters legal team to add weight and profile to their defense.

But the company's efforts were not enough to persuade the judge to dismiss the case.

"We are deeply disappointed that the court declined to end this protracted and baseless proceeding," Reuters editor-in-chief Stephen J. Adler said in a statement. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte received the draft federal constitution of the Consultative Committee (Con-Com) during a ceremony held on Monday, July 9, at Malacañang.

The document, handed to the President by Con-Com chairman Reynato Puno, is the product of almost 5 months of work by the 22-member committee. 

It proposes a federal-presidential form of government creating 18 federated regions, including federated regions of the Bangsamoro and Cordillera. (READ: Highlights of Consultative Committee's draft federal constitution)

"We assure you that the Consultative Committee did its work with complete independence and unbiased by any partisan politics or by any elite interest,"said Puno in his speech during the turnover ceremony.

Duterte now has two weeks to study the draft constitution and suggest revisions before he delivers his 3rd State of the Nation Address on July 23.

The Con-Com is hopeful that Duterte will endorse the document to Congress which has the constitutional mandate to propose revisions to the 1987 Constitution.

Congress is free to ignore the Con-Com's recommendations, if they wish. They can also choose to adopt certain provisions or the entire draft.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque had hailed the submission of the draft charter as a "significant step towards realizing [Duterte's] promise to shift to a federal [system] of government."

He hopes that Congress, dominated by Duterte's allies. will take the Con-Com's proposals into consideration as the group was formed by the President.

"We're hoping that Congress will give it much weight as it prepares to submit proposed revisions to the Constitution to the people as a constituent assembly," said Roque.

The draft constitution made headlines when a Con-Com member said it allows Duterte to run again as president after it is ratified. The member, political science professor Julio Teehankee, eventually took back his statement, saying his interpretation was erroneous.

The draft constitution explicitly states that the terms of Duterte and Vice President Leni Robredo will end on June 30, 2022. It names Duterte as the chairman of a proposed powerful Federal Transition Commission, whose mandate will also end on June 30, 2022.

However, there is no provision expressly stating that Duterte cannot seek reelection as president under the new constitution.

Con-Com spokesman Ding Generoso had said that this is because adding such a provision is "undemocratic" as it "singles out one person."

"The Constitution or any other law cannot have a provision that bars a particular individual from enjoying the rights and privileges that the constitution or law confers on all," he said in a statement.

Duterte on Friday, July 6, said he is not interested in running for the presidency again.– Rappler.com 

MANILA, Philippines – The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) slammed the crackdown on loiterers, the drug war killings, and other abuses under President Rodrigo Duterte as bishops called for prayer and fasting from July 17 to 19.

It was one of the CBCP's strongest and most comprehensive critiques of the Duterte regime.

It was also the most stinging under Davao Archbishop Romulo Valles as CBCP president. Replacing Archbishop Socrates Villegas as CBCP head, Valles is known as Duterte's friend. (READ: New CBCP head views self as Duterte's 'friend-sinner') 

The CBCP statement on Monday, July 9, came after Duterte called God stupid. Duterte's tirades fueled outrage in this predominantly Catholic country that has seen more than 23,000 deaths since "The Punisher" became President. 

Without naming Duterte, the CBCP condemned the President's blasphemy – but didn't dwell on it and instead zoomed out to a host of social ills. 

Their statement's theme was aligned with the call of Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, who urged Manila's priests not to be "be distracted" from "other pressing concerns" in the face of Duterte's tirades against God.

By calling for prayer and penance, the CBCP said it was seeking to invoke "God's mercy and justice on those who have blasphemed God's Holy Name, those who slander and bear false witness, and those who commit murder or justify murder as a means for fighting criminality in our country."

The CBCP said: "Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, do we not all aspire for the grace to be called 'sons and daughters of God'? If we do so, then we must constantly strive to be peacemakers in these troubled times in our country."

"And that means to always strive to bring love where there is hatred, pardon where there is injury, faith where there is doubt, hope where there's despair, light where there is darkness, and joy where there is sadness," the CBCP added, lifting from the prayer for peace attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi.  

Davao archbishop speaking out 

The bishops issued its pastoral exhortation titled "Rejoice and Be Glad!" at the end of the CBCP's 117th plenary assembly from July 7 to 9, at the Pope Pius XII Catholic Center in UN Avenue, Manila.

The plenary assembly was attended by 78 of the Philippines' around 80 active bishops, said Father Marvin Mejia, secretary general of the CBCP. Joining them were 3 administrators and 6 retired bishops. 

It was Valles' second plenary assembly as CBCP president.

After the plenary assembly, Valles led a press conference at the Pope Pius Center to introduce the CBCP statement. It was his first time to formally face journalists in Manila since he became CBCP president on December 1, 2017.

The CBCP statement was later read by Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David. Leading a diocese that he describes as "killing fields," he is one of the most thundering voices against the spate of killings in the Philippines. (READ: Caloocan Bishop Pablo David: Shepherd of his slaughtered sheep) 

Christians 'seduced' by Satan

In its statement, the first issue the CBCP addressed was the killings of priests.

"What is new about priests being murdered for witnessing to Christ? What is new about modern prophets being silenced by the treacherous bullets of assassins?" the bishops said.

The prelates then cited the early Christian author Tertullian, who said, "The blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians."

The CBCP also mentioned "divisions among ourselves."

"How are we to deal with fellow 'Christians' who see nothing wrong about the killings, who just laugh when our God is blasphemed, and who take part in passing on fake news?" the bishops said.

They pointed out, "There will always be those among us who profess the faith in Christ but are so easily seduced by the empty promises of Satan." 

On 'tambays,' drug addicts

The CBCP went on to recount the sufferings of the poor in the Philippines. Still without naming Duterte, the CBCP cited specific examples from the Duterte administration's policies. 

"Do we not hear the cry of poor slum-dwellers being jailed for 'loitering'? Have they forgotten that for the homeless urban poor, the little alleys between their flimsy homes also serve as kitchens, bathrooms, recreation spaces, and playgrounds for their children?" the CBCP said.

It was in apparent reference to Duterte's crackdown on "tambays" or loiterers, leading to the arrests of thousands in the country's slums.

The CBCP added, "Do we not feel the sufferings of drug addicts who are labeled as 'non-humans,' and are stigmatized as criminals when their names end up in the dreaded 'drug watch lists'?"

"Yes, we are aware of the sufferings of those who have been victimized by substance abusers, but can we not see them also as sick people who are struggling with a disease?"

Duterte is known for questioning if drug addicts can be considered human beings. He is also keen on using "matrices" or "narco lists" to pin down drug lords and drug addicts.  

Denouncing blasphemy

The CBCP then admonished people "who arrogantly regard themselves as wise" and "who blaspheme our God as stupid."

This is in apparent reference to Duterte, who once said, "Your God is not my God because your God is stupid. Mine has a lot of common sense."

The CBCP said: "To those in this world who boast of their own wisdom, those who arrogantly regard themselves as wise in their own estimation and the Christian faith as nonsense, those who blaspheme our God as stupid, Saint Paul's words are to the point: 'For the stupidity of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.'" (1 Corinthians 1:25) 

"And to those who ridicule our faith," the bishops added, "we say with Saint Paul, 'God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong, and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something, so that no human being might boast before God.'" (1 Corinthians 1:27-29)

The CBCP, however, also issued a reminder to "those who have been angered by the insulting statements of people in authority." Quoting Jesus in the Bible, the bishops said, "To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well." (Luke 6:27-29)

"Vengeance is never the way of Christ," the CBCP said.

'Church of sinners'

At the same time, the CBCP denied accusations that the Catholic Church is "getting involved in political moves to destabilize the government."

The bishops said the Catholic Church's concern "is never the establishment of any earthly kingdoms," as they "work only for God's kingdom which is beyond this world."

"The Church respects the political authority, especially of democratically-elected government officials, as long as they do not contradict the basic spiritual and moral principles we hold dear, such as respect for the sacredness of life, the integrity of creation, and the inherent dignity of the human person," the CBCP said. 

Towards the end of the statement, the CBCP also admitted the weaknesses of the Catholic Church. This admission comes as Duterte repeatedly slams the Catholic Church for the sexual and financial abuses of bishops and priests. 

"We are a Church of sinners called to conversion and holiness at the same time," the CBCP said.

It added, "We bow in shame when we hear of abuses being committed by some of our fellow Church leaders – especially those ordained to 'act in the person of Christ.' We hold ourselves accountable for their actions, and accept our duty to correct them – as duly mandated by our own higher authorities in the universal Church."

3 days of prayer, fasting

The CBCP ended its statement with a call for a day of prayer and penance on July 16, feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, to atone for the sins of blasphemy, slander, and murder in the Philippines.

This will be followed by 3 days of prayer and fasting, from July 17 to 19. 

"On July 16, 2018, on the feast of the Blessed Mother of Mount Carmel, the mountain associated with the bold challenge of the prophet Elijah, let us spend a day of prayer and penance, invoking God's mercy and justice on those who have blasphemed God's Holy Name, those who slander and bear false witness, and those who commit murder or justify murder as a means for fighting criminality in our country," the CBCP said. 

"We invite you to join us, your bishops, in 3 days of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving from July 17 to 19, 2018," the bishops added. 

With a weak and catatonic political opposition, the Catholic Church is now the strongest voice against killings and other abuses under Duterte. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – It seems President Rodrigo Duterte's new year’s gift to the Bureau of Immigration (BI) did not end the express lane fee saga that caused so many problems for the bureau last year.

The Commission on Audit (COA) wants the BI to explain why it did not collect express lane fees in 2017. State auditors said it resulted in a profit loss for the government amounting to P869 million.

“The termination of the said collections resulted in the loss of income on the part of the government that could have been utilized for the improvement of the economy,” said COA.

What happened? At the start of 2017, Duterte vetoed the use of the express lane fees to augment the salaries of Immigration workers and officers, ending decades of such practice.

The usage of express lane fees as overtime pay was the brainchild of the late Miriam Defensor Santiago to augment the salaries of immigration workers, whose salary packages remain low due to an outdated Immigration law.

Because of the slashed pay, many Immigration workers and officers resigned.

It became an inter-agency problem that went as high as Malacañang, because Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno was convinced allowing express lane fees to pay for salaries breeds the ground for corruption.

In the end, the BI prevailed because just before New Year 2018, Duterte said he was restoring the practice of using express lane fees to augment the salaries.

What’s the problem? When Duterte vetoed the practice at the start of 2017, he did not order the BI to stop collecting the fees. The president just said that the collections shall go to the national treasury and not to the BI’s general fund.

According to the 2017 audit report of the BI, the bureau stopped collecting the fees altogether.

In its response to COA, the bureau said they stopped collecting the fees since they can no longer be used to augment their salaries.

Because the augmentation also came in the form of overtime pay; the bureau said they stopped asking workers to render overtime work.

“Upon learning that the appeal for reconsideration of the Bureau will unlikely be approved, the office hours was adjusted to 8:00AM to 5:00PM. In this case, the Bureau discontinued the collection of the said fee since its purpose has been revoked,” the BI said, according to COA.

COA said the BI did not follow Duterte’s veto instructions, and they must justify that too.

“We recommended that Management submit an explanation/justification for non-compliance with the President’s veto message on the recognition of all collections from express lane charges as income of the General Fund,” said the COA.

“In the future, Management should also consider the effects of its decision in the government as a whole,” the COA added.

Duterte has nudged the Congress to enact a new Immigration Law, which will update salary packages of workers and is seen as the permanent solution to the problem. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The joint panel finalizing the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law has deleted the measure's anti-dynasty provision.

Three members of the bicameral conference committee confirmed this to Rappler on Monday, July 9, during the first day of closed-door deliberations. 

The contingent of the bicam initially discussed the deletion without Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, who pushed for it during the Senate discussions. Members, however, decided to wait for Drilon before finalizing the removal.

Drilon later on arrived and reportedly did not oppose the majority’s decision, supposedly saying he would not defend the provision in the Senate bill, as it is “absolutely nothing” and lacks teeth. There is no counterpart line in House Bill 6475. (READ: Experts suggest compromise for Congress: Regulate, not ban, dynasties)

Section 15 of Senate Bill 1717 states that “no Party Representative should be related within the second (2nd) civil degree of consanguinity or affinity to a District Representative or another Party Representative in the same Parliament.”

The Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC), some members of which belong to political families, has strongly opposed it.

In a previous Senate hearing, members of the BTC opposed the inclusion, saying it is another “experiment” in the region. They said it is a “clear violation of equal protection clause” or the right of every person to vote and be voted.

They questioned why it would only be implemented in the Bangsamoro when it is mandated in the 1987 Constitution.

Politicians, not constituents, want dynasties

But Ateneo School of Government Dean Ronald Mendoza had said there is a need for an anti-dynasty provision in the draft BBL or else the Bangsamoro state would be another failure just like the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, which it seeks to replace.

Citing data, Mendoza earlier said 3 of the 5 poorest provinces in the country come from ARMM, and they have a high share of “fat dynasties” or political families whose members are in several elective positions all at the same time. These are Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, and Sulu.

Mendoza said the opposition to a dynasty ban does not come from the public but from politicians that would be directly affected.

“The people there can no longer challenge leaders because they have captured everything. Your education, healthcare, job – they're leaving everything up to traditional politics, political clans. So the people would not speak out and say they are against fat dynasty. We cannot expect them to fight. We must fight for them,” he said in mix of English and Filipino during a Senate hearing in February. 

It is not the first time that such a provision would be introduced in a law, however. Republic Act 10742, or the Sangguniang Kabataan reform law, prohibits relatives of government officials up to the second degree of consanguinity or affinity from running for the youth councils. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr wants the Supreme Court (SC) to investigate a swimming party in Laguna attended by court staff and a ballot revisor of Vice President Leni Robredo in the ongoing electoral protest.

Marcos, through his lawyers George Garcia and Vic Rodriguez, filed with the SC on Monday, July 9, a manifestation of grave concern with extreme urgent motion to investigate. The High Court acts as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET). 

Marcos said that on June 22, Robredo’s revisor Osmundo Abuyuan went to 3J’s Resort in Pansol, Calamba, Laguna, with 20 PET employees who are conducting the ongoing recount for the electoral protest Marcos filed against Robredo.

Thet PET employees who went to the trip are as follows:

• Reycard Castro, PET chief tabulator
• Hazel Magsipoc, PET head revisor
• Mohammad Disomangcop, PET head revisor
• Jennifer Pablo, PET head revisor
• Michaer Rebosura, PET head revisor
• Christine Enriquez, PET head revisor
• Noriesel Lalamunan, PET head revisor
• Irene Canada, PET head revisor
• Princess Bonetivo, PET head revisor
• Maria Katrin Rosales, PET head revisor
• Hannah Medrano, PET head revisor
• Julius Tumalad, PET alternate head revisor
• Ellaine Francisco, PET appraiser
• Keno Moraleda, PET head ballot box custodian
• Martin Santos, PET ballot box custodian
• Edward Roque, PET ballot box custodian
• Bryan Puntero, PET ballot box custodian
• Elijah Mikaelson, PET ballot box custodian
• Mel Darian Buensalido, PET ballot box custodian
• Rogene Agudelo, PET ballot box custodian

Marcos said he discovered the outing after Rosales, a PET head revisor, had posted pictures of the trip on her Facebook account. These have since been deleted by the user, but Marcos was able to take screenshots of the Facebook posts. 

He was also able to obtain a picture of 3J Resort’s calendar indicating the outing was booked by Buensalido, PET ballot box custodian.

In his manifestation, Marcos argued the PET staff’s vacation trip with a Robredo revisor is a violation of the Code of Conduct for Court Personnel and the Canon of Judicial Ethics.

He believes the swimming party also points to a “conspiracy” between Abuyuan and the PET staff. 

“Protestant Marcos is obviously dismayed and tremendously demoralized by this incident. He is stunned that there appears to be a conspiracy between the camp of the protestee, represented by Abuyuan, and these PET personnel,” said Marcos. 

“Protestant Marcos cannot help but wonder if the ongoing judicial recount and revision proceeding is compromised given the ‘Pansol outing’ was attended by a number of PET personnel who appear to be in cahoots with the protestee’s camp,” he added.  

In the recounting of ballots for an electoral protest, revisors are tasked to determine if ballots are valid, rejected, or stray.

In the VP recount, each revision committee is composed of a PET head revisor and a party revisor each from the Marcos and Robredo camps. The party revisors claim ballots for their respective candidates during the recount.

'Trivial incident'

Robredo’s legal counsel Romulo Macalintal, however, does not find anything anomolous in the swimming party.

The veteran election lawyer said the PET staff supposedly had invited both the Robredo and Marcos revisors to join the Laguna trip.

He claims the Marcos camp even sent food to the people who made it to the outing. Sought for comment, Garcia said they will "wait for the result of the investigation."

“We don’t find anything wrong with the said event because all revisors from the Marcos and Robredo camps were invited by the Presidential Electoral Tribunal head revisors. In fact, we are wondering why they are even asking for an investigation when they sent food to the said event,” said Macalintal.  

For him, the PET staff and the Robredo revisor “should even be lauded” considering the reported “growing tensions” among the revisors during the recount process.  

“The PET should not be disturbed of its more important functions than be bothered by this trivial incident,” said Macalintal.

Read below the full copy of Marcos' manifestation of grave concenr with extreme urgent motion to investigate:

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– Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – When it comes to controversial remarks about the Catholic Church, President Rodrigo Duterte will hold his tongue.

This was supposedly the promise made by the Chief Executive to Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president Archbishop Romulo Valles on Monday, July 9, according to Malacañang.

"PRRD (President Rodrigo Roa Duterte) agreed to a moratorium on statements about the Church after the meeting," said Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque.

Duterte and Valles met at around 4 pm in Malacañang on Monday.

Lasting around 30 minutes, the meeting involved only the two officials.

Valles, who is archbishop of Davao, has known Duterte since the latter's days as Davao City mayor.

In recent weeks, various Catholic Church leaders and religious groups, including Christian groups and their leaders, criticized Duterte for calling God stupid over the Bible creation story and the Last Supper.

The criticism did not stop Duterte from continuing his tirades against the religion. He, however, formed a 4-man committee to dialogue with religious groups. (READ: Bishop warns vs propaganda in Duterte admin's talks with churches) – Rappler.com

NEW DELHI, India – India's Supreme Court on Monday upheld death sentences handed down to three men over the gang-rape and murder of a woman in New Delhi in 2012, saying there were no grounds for a review.

"The review petition of all the three convicts has been rejected," A. P. Singh, a lawyer for the defendants, told reporters.

Jyoti Singh was raped by a gang of five men and a teenager on a bus. The case triggered angry protests by thousands of people as well as soul-searching about the country's treatment of women.

The six gang raped and tortured the woman with an iron bar as the bus drove loops through the Indian capital.

Singh was dumped on the streets 45 minutes later with horrific internal injuries, and died 13 days later in a Singapore hospital.

Four men were convicted in September 2013 for murder, gang rape, theft, conspiracy and "unnatural acts" after a seven-month trial in a fast-track court.

Only 3 of them were involved in the appeal rejected on Monday.

A fifth man, the suspected ringleader, was found dead in jail in a suspected suicide, while a 17-year-old was sentenced to three years in a detention centre and has since been released. – Rappler.com