MANILA, Philippines – The House of Representatives has failed to meet its own deadline to pass the proposed P3.757-trillion budget for 2019 before going on a month-long break this October.

The House plenary terminated session at 8:54 pm on Wednesday, October 10, without voting on 3rd and final reading for House Bill No. 8169 or the 2019 General Appropriations Act (GAA).

The 17th Congress will resume session on November 12 until December 14 before taking another break for the holidays. It will then reopen session on January 14, 2019.

House Majority Leader Rolando Andaya previously said they were targeting to approve the 2019 budget by Saturday, October 13.  (READ: House approves on 2nd reading proposed P3.757 trillion 2019 budget)

"The House leadership has made a commitment to wrap up the deliberations on the proposed budget before the October break. Hopefully, we can pass the General Appropriations Bill in the House of Representatives before October 13," Andaya said on September 17.

With its failure to pass the budget on Wednesday,  the lower chamber still has a little over a month to pass the 2019 GAA before the year ends. The clock will be against them, however, because the Senate will also have to do 3 readings of the 2019 GAA  between November 12 to December 14. 

The Senate will have to work double time so President Rodrigo Duterte will be able to sign the 2019 GAA into law before December 31.

Still, the last session day was productive for the House. The plenary ratified the following bills:

• Expanding the powers and duties of the Social Security Commission and the Social Security System
• Strengthening the Philippine Comprehensive Policy on HIV-AIDS prevention, treatment, care, and support
• Providing for the special protection of children in situations of armed conflict
• Establishing the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Trust Fund
• Creating the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development

Lawmakers also approved on 3rd and final reading the bill declaring the last Monday of January of every year as a special working holiday in observance of National Bible Day.

Why the delay on the part of the House? The small committee that the House formed to finalize amendments to the 2019 GAA are still not done with their work. 

COOP-NATCCO Representative Anthony Bravo, a member of the small committee, said they are scrutinizing every line item to ensure budget allocations are truly necessary for certain departments.

The panel is tasked to finalize the individual amendments to the 2019 GAA, including commitments made by legislators to increase the budgets of certain departments and offices – like the judiciary and the Commission on Human Rights– during the plenary deliberations. 

The same panel also has the responsibility to itemize the line items where the P51.792 billion funds from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will be realigned instead.

The House had formed a committee of the whole to realign the said DPWH funds originally allocated for infrastructure projects across 15 regions. The money will instead go to other projects of the DPWH and other state agencies instead. 

These are supposedly the funds that were “parked” by the previous House leadership for favored lawmakers, a charge that ousted speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, ex-majority leader Rodolfo Fariñas, and House committee on appropriations chairperson Karlo Nograles denied. 

Sources said the money was intended for a “parking” funds scheme, when a lump sum of money, often without a specific purpose identified, is listed under the budget of a particular congressional district. However, the congressman of that district is informed by a fellow lawmaker that this particular allocation was merely listed or "parked" in that allocation, but will be used for a different project or district. – Rappler.com

PARIS, France – The number of British citizens seeking French nationality has increased eightfold since 2015, the year before the country voted to leave the European Union, official figures showed on Wednesday.

France's interior ministry said that 386 Britons had asked for citizenship in 2015.

In 2017, the number of applications leapt to 3,173 and a further 1,370 applied in the first six months of 2018.

Britain's membership of the EU currently means its citizens are guaranteed the same rights to work and live as locals.

But Britons voted to leave the bloc in a referendum in June 2016.

"The Brexit context has generated a significant increase in the number of applications by Britons for French nationality," the ministry said.

Negotiations on Britain's departure from the EU appear to be heading to a dramatic conclusion ahead of the country's exit deadline on March 29, 2019.

Fears are growing of a "no deal" scenario that would see Britain crash out of the bloc without an agreement governing its trade, economic and security ties with its allies in Europe.

The French government has prepared legislation set to be debated in parliament in November that would clarify the legal rights of the estimated 150,000 to 300,000 Britons who have settled in France.

Most of them are retired, with the largest number settled in rural areas of the wine-rich southwestern region of the country, statistics agency Insee said last year.

Over the past two years, the percentage of British applications for French nationality has gone from 0.4 percent of the total number of applications to 3.5 percent, the ministry added. – Rappler.com

YANGON, Myanmar – Myanmar police Wednesday, October 10, arrested 3 journalists after their paper criticized the financial management of Yangon's government, which is overseen by a protege of leader Aung San Suu Kyi, in the latest case to spark concern over press freedom.

Rights groups criticized the detention of the 3 from Eleven Media, which comes as the latest in a long series of cases brought against the media under vague and outdated laws.

Executive editors Kyaw Zaw Lin and Nayi Min and chief reporter Phyo Wai Win were hauled in before a Yangon court in handcuffs on Wednesday morning to hear the charges against them before being carted off to jail.

Defense lawyer Kyee Myint told AFP the case was filed over an article published Monday about the funding behind the city's bus network, a scheme run by Yangon chief minister and Suu Kyi confidant Phyo Min Thein.

"All 3 of them were sent to Insein prison this morning after a case was filed against them under section 505(b)," defense lawyer Kyee Myint told AFP.

The trio could be fined and jailed for up to two years if a court rules that their story was published with intent to cause – or was likely to cause – "fear or alarm to the public".

Their arrest is an "affront to press freedom" and a sign the government is "close to becoming an authoritarian regime," Ravi R. Prasad from the Vienna-based International Press Institute said.

"The whole media industry is under threat," said Hlaing Thit Zin Wai, founder of the Protection Committee for Myanmar Journalists.

"I even have a bag packed at home as we cannot predict when it will be our turn," he added.

The arrests came just a few weeks after the sentencing of two Reuters journalists to 7 years in jail at the end of what was widely seen as a sham trial, during which a police officer testified that they had been set up.

Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, had been investigating the extrajudicial killing of Rohingya men during a violent military crackdown last year against the stateless minority.

Civilian leader Suu Kyi – a figure once lionized by the international community for her commitment to human rights – has caught ire over the jailing, with the UN blasting Myanmar for waging "a political campaign against independent journalism".

In an interview with Japanese news outlet NHK published Tuesday, October 9, Suu Kyi said "there is a lot of press freedom in Myanmar," and suggested that those criticizing her government "study what the press is doing from day to day in the country".

It is not the first time Eleven Media Group has been targeted by the authorities.

In November 2016, the paper's then editors were jailed over a column that accused a government official of receiving a watch worth $100,000 from a businessman who later won plum contracts.

Yangon authorities said they were unable to comment on the latest charges at this stage.

The next hearing will be on October 17. – Rappler.com

PARIS, France – The French health watchdog Wednesday, October 10, urged the government to follow the example of Australia and Brazil by banning sunbeds and tanning parlors because of the "proven" risk of skin cancer caused by exposure to artificial UV light.

"We recommend banning all activities linked to artificial tanning, along with ultraviolet sunlamps sold for esthetic purposes," Olivier Merckel, an expert at the Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES), told AFP.

Of 10,722 cases of malignant melanoma – the deadliest form of skin cancer – reported among French adults over age 30 in 2015, 382 could be directly linked to the use of sunbeds and sunlamps, ANSES estimated recently.

Skin specialists, the French academy of medicine, and some politicians have already spoken out in favor of a ban, but the French government so far has only tightened regulations.

France already bans those aged 18 and under from using commercial tanning parlors, and has outlawed advertising for them.

A total ban is now needed, Merckel said.

"Scientific data is growing, there isn't any doubt any more. We have solid proof. The risk of cancer is proven, we have figures on the risk to young people, to everyone, so now we're calling for action from the authorities," he added.

People under 35 who resort at least once to artificial tanning increase the likelihood of developing skin melanoma by 59 percent, according to ANSES.

Commercial tanning activity in France has already been halved since 2009, according to the National union of tanning professionals which represents some 300 specialized salons and 4,500 beauty parlors offering tanning in the country.

Some 10,000 jobs will go if the government were to follow ANSES' "inept recommendations," it said Wednesday in a statement.

French health and safety inspectors have criticized tanning salons for breaching standards, saying UV emissions on some sunbeds were not regularly checked, while others are operated by untrained staff.

In 2016, 63 percent of the 982 tanning cabins checked by consumer protection authority the DGCCRF were in breach of standards.

There is a "proven" link between artificial sunlight and human cancer, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a body of the World Health Organization, warned as early as 2009.

Brazil became the first country in the world to ban indoor tanning beds in the same year, followed by Australia as of 2015.

Australia has the highest rate of melanoma in the world with 11,000 cases per year.

The US Food and Drug Administration has so far just insisted that marketing material for sunlamps must carry health warnings. – Rappler.com

AKLAN, Philippines – Boat commuters from Caticlan jetty port to Boracay Island should brace themselves as the Caticlan Boracay Transport Multi-Purpose Cooperative (CBTMPC) will now charge double the fare cost.

The cooperative is the sole public boat transport group operating the Caticlan to Boracay Island route. It has 60 motorized bancas and 5 fiberglass vessels plying the route.

Tourists, residents and guests who will disembark to White Beach boat station 2 (Balabag) and boat station 3 (Manoc-Manoc) from Caticlan jetty port in mainland Malay will pay P50 from the previous P25. Motorized pumpboats operators will also be charged P1,200 for one-way chartered trip to Boracay Island.

Students will be enjoying discounted fare of P42.50 and senior citizens and persons with disability will only pay P40.

A notice for change for passenger rate was filed by CBTMPC chairman Godofredo Sadiasa and duly approved by Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) in Iloilo City on October 10.

The hefty fare hike to counter rising fuel costs will affect passengers entering the Caticlan jetty port to White Beach beach stations.

The boat stations in Main Beach were designated temporarily by Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF) since the widening of Boracay main road and construction of drainage systems are still ongoing.

In effect, the one-entry, one-exit policy will be suspended indefinitely with the new disembarking and embarking points in Boracay Island.

The boat stations will accommodate passengers from 5 am to 6 pm only and will shift to Manoc-Manoc cargo area for the night navigation.

Likewise, passengers who will take Caticlan jetty port reclamation area-Manoc-Manoc cargo area route during day-time navigation will still pay the old boat fare of P25.

During night navigation, the boat fare will remain at P30 per passenger from Caticlan jetty port to Manoc-Manoc cargo area only and vice versa.

The transport cooperative targets to implement the fare hike after publication of its notice in any newspaper of local circulation in time for the Boracay re-opening on October 26. – Rappler.com

TOKYO, Japan – The cries of the raucous pre-dawn tuna auction rang out for the first time at Tokyo's new fish market Thursday, October 11, just days after the world-famous Tsukiji market closed the door on an 83-year history.

The location may have changed but the ritual remained the same: huge frozen whole tuna laid out on the ground, bells tolling to sound the start of the auction and a loud and bewildering system of bidding understood only by those taking part.

"There we go. We're off," said Kiyoshi Kimura, one of the celebrities of the sushi world, who owns the Zanmai Sushi chain and has previously paid record prices for tuna at New Year auctions.

"We won't get the same prices today," he told Agence France-Presse (AFP) with a smile.

On Sunday, October 7, after an emotional final tuna auction the previous day, the Tsukiji market's famed "turret trucks" – one-man flatbeds with a barrel-shaped steering column at the front – began the mass exodus to the new site.

However,the move was a lengthy and controversial process. Few would contest the fact that Tsukiji was past its prime, and there were concerns about outdated fire regulations and hygiene controls.

In contrast, the new market, located a few kilometers to the east at Toyosu, boasts state-of-the-art refrigeration facilities and is nearly twice as big again as Tsukiji, already the world's largest.

But the new market is located on the site of a former gas plant and the soil was found to be contaminated, forcing local authorities to spend millions of dollars to clean it up and delaying the move.

Just before Tsukiji closed its doors for the final time, several hundred protesters staged a demonstration trying to block the move in the courts, arguing that Toyosu was unsafe.

Tokyo mayor Yuriko Koike has insisted the new complex is safe and will provide a "cutting-edge" environment for the selling of fish.

The early morning tuna auction at Tsukiji became an institution and a must-see for tourists to the Japanese capital, who lined up from the night before to be one of the 120 allowed to witness the organised chaos.

Especially at the first auction of the new year, wholesalers and sushi tycoons have been known to pay eye-watering prices for the biggest and best fish.

The record still stands from 2013 when 155.4 million yen ($1.8 million) was paid for a 222-kilogramme bluefin.

For some Tsukiji veterans competing in their first auction in the brand-new, sanitised and enclosed new arena, the move has deprived the market of some of its soul.

"It's not the same atmosphere as at Tsukiji," said Lionel Beccat, a Michelin-starred chef who has been going to the pre-dawn auctions for years.

"On a purely professional level, maybe Toyosu is better, but on a sentimental level, it's Tsukiji. The head says yes, but the heart says no," Beccat told AFP, referring to the new location. – Rappler.com

LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines – Slain public school teacher Mylene Veras-Durante shielded two students from a knife-wielding assailant who attacked them inside their school in Pio Duran town, Albay, on Tuesday night, October 9.

“The teacher tried to save the lives of the children by covering them,” Police Senior Inspector Mayvell Barcia-Gonzales, spokesperson of police provincial command in Albay, said on Wednesday, October 10.

Durante, a 23-year-old mother of two, and two grade 6 students were sleeping inside the principal’s office at the Oringon Elementary School in Barangay Oringon, Pio Duran, when a knife-wielding assailant entered the room at 11 pm.

The suspect – a 17-year-old grade 12 student from another school – was arrested on Wednesday, police said.

Gonzales said after the initial attack, the students managed to flee and lock themselves in another room. The assailant ran after the students but returned to Durante, who barely got out of the room, and stabbed her to death.

The two students sustained stab wounds and were brought to the Pio Duran Memorial District Hospital for medical treatment. 

Police said the principal’s office had served as Durante’s sleeping quarters for the last two years. Her school is located in Barangay Oringon, a remote village in Pio Duran.

‘Tragic incident’

The Department of Education (DepEd) in Bicol strongly condemned the attack which happened just days after the celebration of World Teacher’s Day.

“The education department in Bicol region is saddened by the senseless killing and is calling for immediate justice over the killing of teacher Mylene Veras-Durate, mother of two children,” said Mayflor Jumamil, DepEd-Bicol spokesperson.

In a separate statement, Deped-Bicol director Gilbert Sadsad said: “We are deeply saddened of this tragedy. Our hearts go out to those impacted by this tragedy, especially to the family of our teacher."

Sadsad said the regional office will conduct its own fact-finding investigation into the incident and will fully cooperate with police investigators.

“We will be conducting a fact-finding investigation on this and we will accord the necessary actions for our learners and teachers impacted by this tragic incident. We will also be working closely with the authorities such as providing them with access to any resources that they may need in their conduct of investigation,” he added. – Rappler.com

PANAMA CITY, USA – Hurricane Michael claimed its first life after roaring ashore in Florida on Wednesday, October 10, flooding homes and streets and toppling trees and power lines in the Gulf of Mexico beachfront area where it made landfall as a raging Category 4 storm.

Florida officials said Michael, packing winds of 155 miles per hour (250 kilometers per hour), was the most powerful storm to hit the state's northern Panhandle area in more than a century.

Michael had weakened to a Category 1, with maximum winds of 90 mph as of 8:00 pm Eastern time (0000 GMT), but that still left it an extremely dangerous storm.

Pictures and video from Mexico Beach – a community of about 1,000 people where Michael made landfall around 1:00 pm Eastern time (1700 GMT) – showed scenes of devastation, with houses floating in flooded streets, some ripped from their foundations and missing roofs.

Roads were filled with piles of floating debris.

After being battered for nearly 3 hours by strong winds and heavy rains, roads in Panama City were virtually impassable and trees, satellite dishes and traffic lights lay in the streets.

Briefing President Donald Trump at the White House, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) chief Brock Long said Michael was the most intense hurricane to strike the Florida Panhandle since 1851.

"Along our coast, communities are going to see unimaginable devastation," Scott said, with storm surge posing the greatest danger.

"Water will come miles in shore and could easily rise over the roofs of houses," he said.

"Those who stick around to experience storm surge don't typically live to tell about it," said FEMA's Long.

At a rally in Pennsylvania on Wednesday night, Trump offered his "thoughts and prayers" to those in the path of the storm and said he would be visiting Florida soon.

"I'll be traveling to Florida very, very shortly and I just want to wish them all the best. Godspeed," Trump said.

Hundreds of thousands of people were ordered to evacuate their homes and the governor told residents who had not done so to "hunker down and be careful."

Ken Graham, director of the Miami-based National Hurricane Center, said Michael is "unfortunately, a historical and incredibly dangerous and life-threatening situation."

Smith, in Gadsden County, said the situation was dangerous even for emergency personnel.

"We've been very cautious with sending our first responders out right now," she said.

Just shy of Category 5

Olivia Smith, public information officer for the Gadsden County Board of County Commissioners, said there was "one hurricane-related fatality," adding that the incident was "debris-related. There was a tree involved."

Smith could not provide details on the victim.

The death, in an area west of state capital Tallahassee, was the first confirmed since Michael made landfall.

General Terrence O'Shaughnessy, commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command, said some Florida residents may have been surprised by the rapid growth of the storm.

"It really started as a tropical storm, and then it went to Category 1, then it was Category 2 and before you know it, it was Category 4," O'Shaughnessy said.

"Where that becomes a factor is with the evacuation of some of the local populations," he said. "We haven't seen as robust of an evacuation response from the civilian population that we have seen in other storms."

Several hours after the hurricane made landfall, the eye of the storm had moved out of the Panhandle and was just west of Albany, Georgia, the NHC said.

"Michael should weaken as it crosses the southeastern United States through Thursday," the NHC said.

Long, the head of FEMA, said many Florida buildings were not built to withstand a storm above the strength of a Category 3 hurricane on the 5-level Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

As it came ashore, Michael was just shy of a Category 5 – defined as a storm packing top sustained wind speeds of 157 mph or above.

'Leave NOW'

An estimated 375,000 people in more than 20 counties were ordered or advised to evacuate.

The National Weather Service office in Tallahassee issued a dramatic appeal for people to comply with evacuation orders.

"Hurricane Michael is an unprecedented event and cannot be compared to any of our previous events. Do not risk your life, leave NOW if you were told to do so," it said.

Trump issued an emergency declaration for Florida, freeing up federal funds for relief operations and providing the assistance of FEMA, which has more than 3,000 people on the ground.

State officials issued disaster declarations in Alabama and Georgia and the storm is also expected to bring heavy rainfall to North and South Carolina.

The Carolinas are still recovering from Hurricane Florence, which left dozens dead and is estimated to have caused billions of dollars in damage last month.

It made landfall on the coast as a Category 1 hurricane on September 14 and drenched some parts of the state with 40 inches (101 centimeters) of rain.

Last year saw a string of catastrophic storms batter the western Atlantic – including Irma, Maria and Harvey, which caused a record-equaling $125 billion in damage when it flooded the Houston metropolitan area.

Scientists have long warned that global warming will make storms more destructive, and some say the evidence for this may already be visible. – Rappler.com

WASHINGTON DC, USA – Saudi Arabia's crown prince and de facto ruler ordered an operation targeting journalist and US resident Jamal Khashoggi, who has been missing for more than a week, The Washington Post reported Wednesday, October 10, citing US intelligence intercepts.

Khashoggi – a US resident and one of the more outspoken critics of the regime of King Salman and his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, and Turkish officials suspect he was murdered.

The Post, a newspaper to which Khashoggi contributed, cited unnamed US officials as saying that Saudi officials had been heard discussing a plan to lure Khashoggi from the US state of Virginia, where he resided, and detain him.

The paper quoted several of Khashoggi's friends as saying that senior Saudi officials had approached him offering protection, or even a high-level government job, if he returned home – but that Khashoggi was skeptical of the offers.

State Department deputy spokesman Robert Palladino earlier insisted that the United States had no forewarning of any concrete threat to Khashoggi.

"Although I can't go into intelligence matters, I can definitively say that we had no knowledge in advance of Mr Khashoggi's disappearance," Palladino told reporters.

The case has sparked outrage from human rights and journalism groups and threatens to harm ties between Saudi Arabia and the United States, which has demanded answers from the kingdom over the disappearance. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Detained Senator Leila de Lima denounced the decision of Philippine National Police and court officials to ban media coverage of her court hearings.

De Lima said it is a "gross violation" of the constitutional right to a free press, right of the public to be informed, and the right of an accused to a public trial.

"The authorities are getting more and more unreasonable in restricting media access to my court proceedings and any of my public outings, for that matter," De Lima said in a statement on Thursday, October 11.

"As far as my legal team knows, the court has not issued any official order – verbal or written – restricting media from covering court proceedings at QC MTC, Branch 34. But how come media were barred during the last hearing? Under whose authority or orders was it?" she asked.

During the October 4 hearing at the Quezon City Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 34 on De Lima’s "Disobediance to Summons," members of the media were prohibited from covering without any official order or court justification.

De Lima also alleged that Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 206 Judge Lorna Navarro-Domingo gave a verbal order restricting the press from covering the senator's hearings.

The senator also slammed PNP's efforts to "drown" her public statements during her public outings by making noises.

"These unreasonable and baseless instructions are unconstitutional. They not only undermine the media's role as messengers of truth to the public, but also prevent the conduct of an open and public trial," De Lima said.

De Lima, President Rodrigo Duterte's fiercest critic, has been in jail since February 2017 for drug trafficking charges, which she claims were fabricated by Duterte and his allies for vengeance. (READ: One year of living and surviving in jail) – Rappler.com

LIMA, Peru – Police in Peru have arrested Keiko Fujimori, the opposition leader and daughter of the South American country's disgraced ex-president, for alleged money laundering involving Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht, her lawyer said Wednesday, October 10.

The 43-year-old was arrested on the orders of prosecutors investigating contributions to her campaign when she ran for president in 2011, according to her lawyer Giuliana Loza.

"Persecution has been disguised as justice in our country," the politician wrote on Twitter.

Her arrest comes a week after her father Alberto Fujimori's presidential pardon for crimes against humanity was revoked by a top court, which ordered him back to prison.

The leader of Popular Force, the biggest party in Congress, Keiko Fujimori was arrested after giving evidence at the public prosecutor's office to a judge investigating alleged party funding from Odebrecht.

Her husband had accompanied her to the hearing in Lima before judge Richard Concepcion Carhuancho.

However, in a shock development, she was arrested and placed in preventive detention for 10 days, said Loza, who described the arrest as "an outrage and an abuse."

Supporters quickly gathered outside the prison facility where she was being held to protest, many waving Popular Force or pro-Keiko banners.

A further 19 people have been arrested in the case linked to contributions to Popular Force during Keiko Fujimori's 2011 presidential campaign.

"She has placed herself at the disposal of the prosecutor's office," said Loza.

Odebrecht probe

Prosecutors have since June been investigating allegations that 3 former presidents took bribes disguised as campaign funds from Odebrecht, which is at the center of political scandals across Latin America.

Former presidents Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, Alan Garcia and Alejandro Toledo all took undeclared campaign contributions in exchange for pledges to have the Brazilian construction giant win local tenders, prosecutors said.

Kuczynski narrowly beat Keiko Fujimori to win the presidency in 2016.

However, he was forced to step down earlier this year when impeachment seemed certain after he failed to shake off suspicions over millions of dollars in Odebrecht payments to his companies before he took office.

Prosecutors are also investigating former president Ollanta Humala for allegedly taking $3 million in bribes from Odebrecht.

The investigation stems from questioning of Jorge Barata, a Brazilian who was a former Odebrecht boss in Peru.

He told Brazilian investigators that he doled out millions of dollars to Peruvian presidential candidates between 2001 and 2016.

In the 2011 elections, Odebrecht gave money to 4 candidates, Barata told prosecutors: $1.2 million to Keiko Fujimori, $700,000 to Toledo and $300,000 to Kuczynski.

Up to her arrest on Wednesday, Keiko Fujimori had not been directly under investigation, as most of the prosecutors' attention was on two of her senior 2011 campaign aides.

The two aides, Jaime Yoshiyama and Augusto Bedoya, were among the 19 others placed under arrest Wednesday.

Barata has previously identified both men as intermediaries. Their homes were raided in March.

He told Peruvian prosecutors who questioned him in Sao Paulo that – in addition to the money he gave to the two Popular Force officials – he made another contribution of $200,000 to Keiko through Peru's business confederation CONFIEP.

The Peruvian candidates as well as the business federation all denied receiving Odebrecht contributions.

The prosecutor in charge of the case, Jose Domingo Perez, has said Keiko Fujimori was leading a "criminal organization" inside Popular Force for the purposes of receiving illicit funding.

Bad week for Fujimoris

An extended investigation into the Popular Force leader could leave an expected 2021 run for the presidency in tatters.

She has also been unable to resolve a feud with her younger brother Kenji, as both battle for control of their father's political dynasty.

"Another sad and hard moment in a hard week for the family," tweeted Kenji, who leads a rival faction of Keiko's party. "As soon as I heard the news I was next to my mother (Susana Higuchi) and later my father."

"The Fujimori family continues to dominate Peru's political agenda. The Fujimoris have marked Peruvian life for more than two and a half decade, first during the father's presidency and then with the incursion into politics of their children," analyst Fernando Tuesta told Agence France-Presse.

Meanwhile, her father insists that a return to prison would be a "death sentence."

He said in a letter to Peru's President Martin Vizcarra and the South American country's judiciary last week that he is too weak to go back to serve out the rest of a 25 year sentence for crimes against humanity.

He is currently being treated for a chronic heart condition at a Lima clinic, where he was taken when given the news that his pardon had been revoked. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Opposition senators on Wednesday, October 10, called for an immediate investigation into the recent spate of killings in Cebu under the Philippine National Police’s “one-time, big-time” anti-illegal drug operations.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, and Senators Francis Pangilinan, Leila de Lima, Antonio Trillanes IV, Risa Hontiveros, and Paolo Benigo Aquino IV filed Senate Resolution 915 expressing gave concern over the killings allegedly committed by the PNP. (READ: Crime city? Killings in Cebu rise as mayor, cops feud)

“The allegation that police officers themselves are behind some of the killings is highly disturbing,” the minority bloc said in the resolution.

“As duty bearers, the PNP must observe proper operational procedures in order to fulfill the organization’s obligation with respect to human rights-based policing,” they added.

According to Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña, the spate of killings began after the assumption of Cebu City Police Director Royina Garma and Police Regional Office-7 (PRO-7) Director Debold Sinas.

A total of 19 drug suspects have already died for supposedly fighting back.

On October 5, there were a total 14 deaths in parts of Cebu, 9 of them in police anti-drug operations. The other 5 were in what police tagged as an apparent shootout between drug syndicates in Barangay Malubog in Cebu City but the two survivors in the incident claimed the police were involved.

The resolution was referred to Senator Panfilo Lacson’s committee on public order and dangerous drugs. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine National Police has sacked cops named in President Rodrigo Duterte's so-called drug matrix, PNP spokesperson Chief Superintendent Benigno Durana announced on Thursday, October 11.

According to the assignment orders that Durana shared to reporters, the following have been placed in the Camp Crame police holding unit:

• Senior Superintendent Leonardo Ramos Suan
• Superintendent Lorenzo Cusay Bacia
• Senior Inspector Lito Torres Pirote
• Inspector Conrado Hernandez Caragdag
• Senior Police Officer IV Alejandro Gerardo Liwanag

What holding unit? The police holding unit is the PNP subdivision where sacked cops are placed for monitoring. They are required to report to office without any particular task expected of them. 

If they fail to report, they would be considered AWOL which could be grounds for their dismissal.

Why are they named? According to the matrix of Duterte, the cops were allegedly engaged in recycling illegal drugs.  They supposedly learned drug recycling from former police colonel and recently sacked Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency deputy chief Ismael Fajardo.

They are expected to be placed in restrictive custody, which means that they would be detained inside the police camp.– Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes IV filed an omnibus motion for reconsideration, after Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 150 issued an arrest warrant and a hold departure order (HDO) against the lawmaker.

In his appeal submitted October 1, Trillanes argued that Branch 150 should "vacate and/or set aside" the September 25 order granting the Department of Justice's plea for the issuance of an arrest warrant and HDO for lack of legal and factual basis.

"The accused…most respectfully moves and prays of this Honarable Court to [u]ltimately deny the prosecution's very urgent ex parte omnibus motion for lack of jurisdiction and/or of merit, pursuant to prevailing laws and/or jurisprudence," the appeal said.

"[T]he instant case having been already dismissed through the Honorable Court's order dated September 7, 2011, which dismissal and/or termination of the case had already become final and executory nearly 7 years ago," it added.

On September 25, Branch 150 Presiding Judge Elmo Alameda granted the DOJ's request, as he found that Trillanes "had failed to substantiate his claim" that he had filed for amnesty. The senator was unable to produce original documents and the defense department said it could not find his application in its records.

The decision came despite the sworn affidavit of a Department of National Defense officer certifying that an application was indeed filed. (READ: Court handling rebellion case asks Trillanes for actual amnesty form)

Alameda will be hearing Trillanes' appeal on Friday, October 12 at 9 am.

'Misapplied' best evidence rule: In the appeal, Trillanes' camp said that the court should set the case for hearing "for the proper reception of evidence," concerning the factual issues referred by the Supreme Court:

• Whether or not Trillanes filed for an application of amnesty
• Whether or not Trillanes admitted guilt for his crimes and/or acts subject of amnesty

They argued that "best evidence rule," as cited by Branch 150, is only applicable to cases wherein the contents of a document are being contested, and thus not applicable to his case.

The best evidence rule indicates that original documents must be produced when the subject of inquiry is the content of a document, therefore making other evidence inadmissible. (READ: TIMELINE: Gov't gaps, retractions in voiding Trillanes amnesty)

"Since what is involved here are factual matters and not what the application for amnesty purportedly contains, it is very clear that the best evidence rule does not apply to the case," the appeal said.

"Clearly, this Honorable Court committed grave and gross but correctible error of refusing to consider these competent evidence properly presented by former accused Trillanes in this regard," it added.

Branch 150 'grossly erred' in upholding Proclamation 572 : Trillanes' camp also said that declaring his amnesty "void ab initio" through President Rodrigo Duterte's Proclamation No. 572 is "fundamentally flawed and indefensible."

"Even assuming for the sake of argument that the President is correct…his act of so declaring so himself through Proclamation No. 572, series of 2018, clearly constitutes an overreach on his part and the same is clearly illegal and/or constitutional because it clearly constitutes usurpation of judicial power," Trillanes argued.

The lawmakers' camp said that the proclamation "undermines the entire legal system" by granting a review to final and executory decisions of courts. (READ: [ANALYSIS] Philippine courts dribble, stall on Trillanes amnesty issue)

"To put it simply, the assailed ruling of the Honorable Court is tantamount to a total and complete surrender of the independence of the judiciary and a tragic capitulation to the President of the judicial power lodged upon the courts by the Constitution," Trillanes said.

With this, the senator argued that Branch 150 should vacate and set aside the September 25 ruling to pave the way for proper hearings of the case. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Two lawmakers in the House of Representatives want to criminalize child marriage, including its facilitation and solemnization, in the Philippines. 

Bagong Henerasyon Representative Bernadette Herrera Dy and Albay 1st District Representative Edcel Lagman filed House Bill (HB) No. 8440 on Wednesday, October 10, a copy of which was sent to reporters on Thursday, October 11. 

The bill would declare the act of child marriage, its facilitation, and solemnization as “public crimes.” (READ: Ending child marriages, teenage pregnancies, poverty) 

“These acts are grave [forms] of child abuse and exploitation as they gravely threaten and endanger the survival and normal development of children physically, emotionally, and psychologically and can be initiated by any concerned individual,” said Section 4 of HB 8440. 

Section 5 also states that a child marriage would be considered void ab initio or void from the beginning.

HB 8440 would repeal all other laws, decrees, executive orders, issuances, rules, and regulations that would be "inconsistent" with its provisions.

The United Nations Population Fund said that more than 650 million women and girls alive today were married before their 18th birthday, while 21% of young women aged 20 to 24 years old around the globe were child brides.  

In the Philippines, the 2017 National Demographic and Health Survey said that one in 5 girls is a mother by 19 years old. (READ: When a child raises a child)

Lawyer Virginia Lacsa Suarez said child marriage usually happens in Muslim and indigenous peoples communities in the Philippines.

The Code of Muslim Personal Laws says a girl may be married at the age of puberty or the onset of first menstruation. A girl is presumed to have reached the age of puberty by 15. The minimum age of marriage for boys is at 15 years old. (READ: [DASH of SAS] Muslim religious leaders affirm 'sublime status' of women)

What would be the punishment? If enacted into law, HB 8440 would punish solemnizing officers and parents of children who arranged and consented to a child marriage.

For solemnizing officers:

• 1st offense: P25,000 fine, suspension of license for 6 months, attendance to seminars or learning sessions on human rights, child’s rights and marriage, and the child marriage law
• 2nd offense: P50,000 fine and forfeiture of license
• 3rd offense: Fine and imprisonment as provided for by Republic Act (RA) No. 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act

For parents:

• 1st offense: Suspension of parental authority between 6 months to one year, subject to the determination and written recommendation from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) “considering the best interest of the child”
• 2nd offense: Permanent protection order “in favor of the child”
• 3rd offense: Imprisonment as provided for by RA 7610. Custody of the child will be transferred to the DSWD until the child “reaches the age of majority” or will be able to protect herself or himself.

What are advocates saying? Pro-children’s rights advocates are backing HB 8440 and are calling on lawmakers to pass it. 

Youth leader Nor-Asiah Macasilang from Lanao del Sur said that while she is not a victim herself, child marriage is prevalent in her community. 

"In our place, when your parents [tell] you to marry someone, then you cannot just say that you can’t marry that man because I don’t like him. No. Once they [tell] you that you have to marry someone, even if you don’t know him and even if you don’t know his identity, then you will have to [marry him],” said Macasilang in a press conference on HB 8440 on Wednesday.

“They are forcing you to marry someone because they thought that will be good for you, that will be good for your future. But they’re not thinking that it will ruin your life in the future. Because you are not actually financially, emotionally, and physically ready, because you’re still young and you’re not in the right place to think [about] your future,” she added. 

Suarez also said culture should no longer be used as an excuse for abuse. 

“It should not be used to justify violence. Kasi palagay ko, 'di tayo magtatalo-talo when it comes to how child marriage is affecting the health, all aspects eh sa buhay ng isang bata,” she said.

(I think that we will all agree on how child marriage affects the health and all other aspects of the life of a child.) – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – More Filipinos are aware of the presence of fake news on social media, according to PulseAsia's "September 2018 Nationwide Survey on Social Media Use," released on Wednesday, October 10.

The survey was conducted from September 1 to 7 through face-to-face interviews with 1,800 representatives who are adults 18 years old and above. It covered the geographic areas of Metro Manila, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

According to the survey, 47% of Filipinos use the internet, majority of whom access it through their mobile phones, and majority of whom use it to check their social media accounts.

Of the total number of respondents, 46% use the internet for social media. Eighty-eight percent of them are aware of fake news on social media, with 79% saying they think it's widespread on those platforms.

By contrast, in June 2017, out of the 37% of total respondents who use the internet for social media, 74% said they read, heard, or watched at least one piece of fake news on the platforms they used. Fifty-nine percent thought fake news was widespread on these platforms.

The level of awareness in 2018 increased not only on the national level, but also across geographic areas and socio-economic groupings.

Aside from awareness of fake news, more Filipinos also said that their political views have been swayed because of something they saw, read, and/or listened to on the internet in 2018.

In 2017, with 39% of the respondents who used social media said they changed their views on politics and government because of it.

In 2018, 51% of the respondents who used social media said their political opinions have been swayed by it.

The Pinoy internet user

According to PulseAsia, their survey respondents in Metro Manila (65%) and in the economic classes ABC (66%) were the majority of those who accessed the internet. By contrast, only a third of those in Visayas (35%) and economic class E (32%) used the internet.

Aside from mobile phones, Filipinos also access the internet through computers and internet cafes (13%), home computers or laptops (11%), tablets (8%), and their office computers or laptops (2%).

They use these devices to check social media, to read, watch, and/or listen to other things of interest to them (39%), to read, watch and/or listen to the news (29%), and to send, receive, and/or read emails (20%).

To do all these, they access the internet more than once a day (44%) or two to 6 times per week (20%).

Which social media accounts do Filipinos frequent the most? All of them have a Facebook account (100%), while 17% use Instagram, 11% use Twitter, 3% use LinkedIn, and 2% use Pinterest. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The anti-graft court Sandiganbayan said the evidence presented by the prosecution in 136 cases against former Maguindanao governor Datu Sajid Islam Ampatuan was "sufficient" to secure his conviction.

"The Court finds that, if unrebutted, the prosecution evidence is sufficient to support a verdict of guilt," the Sandiganbayan's 6th Division said in its resolution.

The 6th Division denied Ampatuan's motion for leave to file demurrer to evidence, a pleading that says the prosecution's evidence is weak enough to warrant outright dismissal of the case.

Ampatuan had been charged with 4 counts each of graft and malversation of public funds, and 137 counts of falsification of public documents. The cases stem from fraudulent procurement in relation to public works projects in Mindanao in 2009.

An audit report pointed to the Maguindanao provincial government's procurement of  P72.256 million worth of construction materials in 2009 as bogus as the suppliers – Usman Lumberyard and Construction Supply, Andong Lumberyard and Construction, Nasser Lumberyard and Construction Supply, and Ismael Lumberyard and Construction Supply – did not exist.

Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Sarah Jane Fernandez, 6th Division chairperson,  penned the resolution. Associate Justices Karl Miranda and Kevin Narce Vivero concurred.

The court granted Ampatuan's motion for demurrer of evidence only on 9 counts of falsification of public documents, where the defense showed that Ampatuan's signature was not on support documents for those cases.

The Sandiganbayan said Ampatuan still has the right to file his demurrer to evidence, though without leave of court.

The absence of prior leave of court waives the right of the accused to present evidence and, should his demurrer be denied, the cases to be judged would be done solely on the basis of evidence given by prosecutors.  

Should Ampatuan decide against filing a demurrer to evidence, he and his legal team were ordered to start presenting their evidence early Thursday afternoon, October 11.

Ampatuan's co-defendants were provincial treasurer Osmeña Bandila, provincial accountant John Dollosa Jr, general services office chief and Bids and Awards Committee chairman Kasan Macapendeg, provincial administrator Norie Unas, and provincial engineers Datu Ali Abpi, Al Haj, and Landap Guinaid.

Guinaid was said to have been killed in an ambush in Cotabato City in July 2017. He remains a co-accused though, pending a submission in court of proof of his death. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – All but one of the men accused of killing a 16-year-old walk free more than a year since the Philippine National Police (PNP) publicly identified their group Confederate Sentinels Group (CSG) Tondo Chapter 2 as vigilantes. 

In the conclusion of the 7-part Murder in Manila series, “It Is War,” Rappler found that at least 3 of them even ran for a local post after they were condemned on national television in February 2017. 

Sources, including self-confessed vigilantes, told Patricia Evangelista and Carlo Gabuco in their 6-month investigation that CSG Tondo Chapter 2 killed at least 20 people upon the orders of local police during the first 7 months of President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs. 

The group’s leader, Ricardo Villamonte alias Commander Maning, however, denied they are involved in extrajudicial killings

But out of the 4 deaths then-PNP chief General Ronald dela Rosa attributed to the CSG, Rappler confirmed that charges were filed on a single case only. But Dela Rosa still insisted the group consisted of self-confessed killers and that he stands by his statements.

The CSG has even remained as an accredited organization by PNP, according to its founder Alvin Constantino. 

The group’s Tondo Chapter 2 headquarters along Road 10 has been converted into a local government outpost, but sources told Rappler that killings continue and that the vigilantes resort to reporting to the homes of their leaders – if not working as assets for the police.  

Simon*, one of the vigilantes who talked to Rappler, said that he remains an active member of what is left of the CSG. He said that he still works with the police and understands that there are people who need killing.

Police Superintendent Robert Domingo, whom sources accused of outsourcing murder to the CSG, refused to comment for the story. 

Angel*, another self-confessed vigilante, said that Domingo was “just a tool for Tondo,” adding that “there’s someone higher than him, there’s a general involved.” 

Allegations of police involvement in the murders of drug suspects and criminals, according to Dela Rosa, should be investigated but “if proven, they should file charges against the police.”

Asked about the thousands of deaths under Duterte’s anti-illegal drug campaign, he said “it’s war.”

“What would you call it, what do you call it if nobody dies? What else do you call it? It’s a war, a war on drugs. We are waging war against drugs,” Dela Rosa said. – Rappler.com

Editor's Note: All quotes in Filipino have been translated into English. At the sources' request, Rappler changed or withheld their names for their own safety.

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MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – Deputy Speaker Rose Marie "Baby" Arenas is the new caretaker of Batanes at the House of Representatives after the death of Henedina Abad. 

Arenas, Pangasinan 3rd District representative, is replacing Quezon City 4th District Representative Feliciano Belmonte Jr as caretaker. Her designation was formalized during the session on Wednesday night, October 10.  

House Majority Leader Rolando Andaya made the motion to designate Arenas as caretaker.

"Madame Speaker, in the interest of the people of the lone district of Batanes, I move that we designate Representative Rose Marie 'Baby' Arenas of the 3rd district of Pangasinan as the legislative caretaker of the lone district of Batanes, vice Representative Feliciano Belmonte Jr," Andaya said. 

The plenary accepted the motion without any objections.

Arenas is known to have had a past relationship with former president Fidel Ramos and wielded influence during his presidency. 

In the book Endless Journey: A Memoir by Rappler editor-at-large Marites Dañguilan Vitug, former national security adviser Jose Almonte said Arenas had wanted to become president after Ramos. But her daughter Rachel disputed this.

Arenas will now become caretaker of Batanes, which was once represented at the House by Abad. Abad, a Liberal Party member, died on October 9, 2017.

She was a longtime professor at the Ateneo de Manila University, and was founding dean of the Ateneo School of Government.

She was initially appointed chairman of the House committee on government reorganization, but was stripped of this role after she voted against the reimposition of the death penalty.

Abad was also the wife of Florencio Abad, who served as budget secretary under the Aquino administration and himself a former longtime congressman of the province. 

Ousted speaker Pantaleon Alvarez eariler told reporters that while it's the House leadership that ultimately decides on who becomes designated caretaker of a legislative district, the deceased lawmaker's family can also give recommendations. 

Abad's son protests

Abad’s youngest son, Luis, opposed Arenas’ designation as caretaker of Batanes. He said the House leadership had not consulted the Liberal Party nor Batanes Governor Marilou Cayco.

“A day after the anniversary of Nanay’s death, GMA and her brand of petty politics show no respect for the dead nor for the mandate of the people of Batanes by unilaterally assigning Pangasinan Representative Baby Arenas as Caretaker Representative without even consulting the Liberal Party, of which Nanay was a member, or Governor Cayco, the highest elected official of Batanes,” said Luis.

He alleged that Speaker Arroyo supposedly wanted to designate a non-lawmaker for the post his mother left behind. But Luis did not give any names.

“Story going around is that GMA wanted to appoint someone who the people of Batanes rejected in the polls in 2010 and 2013, and did not even have the courage to run in 2016. But because he wasn’t a member of Congress, such an appointment would’ve been a break with tradition and against the rules. So now, Plan B is to assign Rep Arenas but she will take her cue from someone who does not have the mandate of the people of Batanes,” said Luis.

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– Rappler.com 

WASHINGTON DC, USA – The United States said Wednesday, October 10, it will refuse any post-war reconstruction assistance to Syria if Iran is present, expanding the rationale for US involvement in the conflict.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, speaking to a pro-Israel group, vowed an aggressive push to counter Iran across the Middle East and said that Syria was a decisive battleground.

"The onus for expelling Iran from the country falls on the Syrian government, which bears responsibility for its presence there," Pompeo told the Jewish Institute for National Security of America.

"If Syria doesn't ensure the total withdrawal of Iranian-backed troops, it will not receive one single dollar from the United States for reconstruction," Pompeo said.

Pompeo's speech effectively broadens the official explanation for why the United States is involved in Syria's civil war, which a monitoring group says has killed close to 365,000 people since 2011.

Former president Barack Obama authorized military action with the goal of rooting out the Islamic State group, or ISIS, the extremist force that has boasted of a slew of grisly attacks both in Syria and the West.

The United States has about 2,000 troops in Syria, primarily to train and advise forces other than ISIS that are waging an increasingly precarious fight to topple President Bashar al-Assad.

Pompeo acknowledged that Assad was stronger thanks to Iranian and Russian help and said that, with ISIS "beaten into a shadow of its former self," new priorities had emerged.

"Defeating ISIS, which was once our primary focus, continues to be a priority. But it will now be joined by two other mutually reinforcing objectives," Pompeo said.

"These include a peaceful political resolution to the Syrian conflict and the removal of all Iranian and Iranian-backed forces from Syria."

Trump hesitant on Syria

The US funding threats are unlikely to make an immediate impact in Syria.

Trump, a vocal critic of foreign aid as he promotes an "America First" policy, in August pulled the United States out of Syria's near-term reconstruction, suspending $230 million after Gulf Arab allies made their own pledges.

But Pompeo's speech marks a new sign that the United States is not leaving Syria anytime soon after Trump, a onetime critic of foreign interventions, earlier this year mused aloud about withdrawing troops.

Trump's national security adviser John Bolton, a longtime hawk on Iran, told reporters last month that US troops would stay "as long as Iranian troops are outside Iranian borders."

Iran, ruled by Shiite Muslim clerics, has deployed both troops and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah to prop up Assad, a secular leader who belongs to the Alawite sect and is facing down hardline Sunni Muslim forces.

"Iran has seen instability in Syria as a golden opportunity to tip the regional balance of power in its favor," Pompeo said.

He warned that Iran, a sworn foe of Israel, would open a new front against the Jewish state if it remained in Syria.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has similarly warned that he will never accept an Iranian presence in Syria.

Trump has withdrawn from an international agreement negotiated under Obama through which Iran slashed its sensitive nuclear work in exchange for sanctions relief. Pompeo boasted that Trump has imposed on Iran "some of the harshest sanctions in history."

The Trump administration has closely allied itself with both Israel and Saudi Arabia, the Sunni kingdom which sees Iran as its chief rival in the region.

Pompeo in his speech did not air any criticism of Saudi Arabia, which has been accused by Turkish government sources of killing a prominent Saudi journalist last week inside its Istanbul consulate.

Pompeo also did not demand a withdrawal by Russia, which maintains its only permanent military base outside the former Soviet Union in Syria, a Cold War ally. – Rappler.com