BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – Indigenous peoples (IP) groups stormed a meeting on the controversial Chico River Pump Irrigation Project which they said violated free, prior and informed consent (FPIC). 

While the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP)-Cordillera acknowledged that they were recently furnished with the FPIC report, it said the project had already commenced even before they could receive the report. 

The FPIC is the legal instrument that establishes bottom-up participation and consultation of an IP group prior to starting development on their ancestral land.

The Cordillera People's Alliance and other IP groups here said that the FPICs of the communities in Katabbogan and Pinococ in Pinukpuk, Kalinga, where the project is located, were not obtained.

Roland Calde, NCIP-Cordillera regional director, said in his May 3 letter to the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) Cagayan Valley – the main administrator of the project – that he received the FPIC report on May 2 and realized this was completed by the NIA-Cagayan Valley on April 22 after submitting the disturbance compensation agreements with affected landowners.

"Further, it also came [to] our attention, that while pending the issuance of CP (certification precondition) for the project, earthmoving and construction are already taking place within the domain," Calde said.

He added, "With this, we beseech your good office to hold in abeyance or temporarily suspend activities taking place therein while the office conducts its mandatory review and evaluation to cause the issuance of CP."

During the meeting on Tuesday afternoon, May 7, the NCIP, NIA-Cagayan Valley, Regional Development Council, and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources agreed on the suspension while the CP is being processed.

The NIA also said in the meeting that 100% of the IPs and landowners were already paid.

Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA), which was not allowed in the meeting, said that no FPIC was given by the affected communities.

"Contrary to the claim of the NCIP, there is no FPIC for the project. Even the process to acquire FPIC in accordance with the 2012 FPIC Guidelines was not completed since no certificate of precondition has been issued. The consultation meetings and the memorandum of bgreement between [NIA-Cagayan Valley] and communities in the affected ancestral domains were only part of the FPIC process and do not already mean FPIC," CPA Chairperson Windel Bolinget said.

He added: "The concept of FPIC was manipulated. FPIC was not secured prior to the signing of the loan agreement and the construction of the project. The fact that the affected communities were not aware of the provisions of the loan agreement, including the Chinese contractor and Chinese workers that will implement the project, also entail the lack of full disclosure of information about the project."

He also said that the NIA negotiated with landowners to allow project construction and disturbances within their private lands in exchange for compensation. It made the affected landowners sign a document called The Individual Right of Way Permit to Enter and Construct as a go signal for the construction, he said.

"This was the 'consent' that became the basis for NIA to start its earthmoving activities. These are outright violations of FPIC," Bolinget said.

On April 4, Neri Colmenares and the Makabayan bloc in Congress filed a petition before the Supreme Court asking it to stop the Duterte government's loan agreement with China for the Chico River pump irrigation project. (READ: SC orders gov't to answer petition vs P3.69-B China loan deal) – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Audit noted red flags on two 2018 disaster projects of the Tarlac provincial government and asked them immediately remedy these questionable spendings.

Cited by COA were the Tarlac government's P37.95 million use of its Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (LDRRMF). COA said one project lacked supporting documents, the other was for the improper use of the funds.

COA’s 2018 audit report, released online last week, said it could not verify the P33,909,810 purchase of trauma and first kits charged to the disaster funds. The government auditors noted that the documents submitted by the Tarlac officials did not include the names of the beneficiaries of these kits.

COA also called out the construction of two multi-purpose buildings charged to the Tarlac’s disaster fund amounting to P4.042 million. The auditors said the so-called buildings looked more like mere offices.

In October 2018, Tarlac acquired 1,022 sets of “trauma bags,” which were supposed to include medical, dental, and laboratory supplies worth P19,980 each. The total cost of the trauma bags was P20.42 million.

These trauma bags are to be distributed among barangay health workers for use during emergency response operations.

Tarlac also purchased 15,000 “basic survival and first aid kits“ at P899.35 each for a total of P13.49 million. The first aid kits were intended for residents of pre-identified disaster-prone municipalities and barangays.

The kits contained toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, rubbing alcohol, blanket, slippers, whistle, flashlight, bottled water, cotton balls, band aid, disposable gloves, bandage, toilet paper and a plastic bucket with cover.

COA said because of the absence of documentation, it was not verifiable if these trauma bags and first aid kits were distributed to their intended recipients.

Specifically, COA said the disbursement vouchers for both the trauma bags and first aid kits  “were not supported with distribution list or acknowledgment receipt form to prove that the items were indeed distributed to or received by intended recipients.”

Instead what Tarlac submitted were only the Inventory Custodian Slips issued by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) attached to the disbursement voucher.

Submitting the inventory custodian slip “cannot be considered a substantial compliance” with audit requirements, the COA said because the distribution list or acknowledgment receipts are key documents during the conduct of validation.

Tarlac’s internal audit head explained to COA that there were no documents to be submitted because she was told that the kits have not been distributed.  

The internal audit head said she would verify and check on the where the kits were.

Meanwhile, COA questioned the construction of two multipurpose buildings charged to the disaster fund worth P4.042 million.

COA said the buildings constructed in Barangays Balayang and Sta. Barbara in Victoria town were too small.

The COA observed: “The structures were actually barangay halls that looked exactly the same as those multipurpose buildings constructed using the 20% Development Fund and not evacuation/operation centers.”

The Guidelines on Evacuation Center Coordination and Management stipulates that an evacuation center must have facilities like a medical station, kitchen, toilets, laundry area, breastfeeding room for mothers with infants, and separate baths for males and females.

The halls in Victoria only had a reception area, kitchen, office spaces, a conference room, and a balcony.

Because of the glaring discrepancy, COA recommended the costs of the two structures “should not be charged against the calamity fund because by nature and use, barangay halls are not disaster-related infrastructure projects.”  – Rappler.com

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (UPDATED) – Asia Bibi, the Christian woman at the center of a decade-long blasphemy row, is "free" and has been reunited with her family, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday, May 8, months after her death sentence was overturned.

Pompeo issued a statement after a government source in Pakistan told Agence France-Presse (AFP) earlier Wednesday that Bibi had left the country "of her own free will."

Bibi's departure from Pakistan – reportedly going to Canada – marks the latest chapter in a saga that has sparked violent demonstrations and high-profile assassinations while spotlighting religious extremism.

"The United States welcomes the news that Asia Bibi has safely reunited with her family," Pompeo said in a statement.

"Asia Bibi is now free, and we wish her and her family all the best following their reunification."

It was not clear when Bibi may have left or where she may have gone, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declined to confirm whether she has arrived in Canada.

"There are sensitive privacy issues and security issues on this and so I can't comment," Trudeau told reporters outside parliament Wednesday.

British Prime Minister Theresa May appeared to confirm that Canada was her destination while speaking on the floor of the House of Commons Wednesday.

"Canada made this offer and we thought it was right and appropriate that we supported the offer that Canada had made," May said.

Canada's foreign ministry said it had no comment on the matter. The Pakistani government source spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity and did not confirm Bibi's destination, and there was no official announcement from Islamabad.

Blasphemy carries a maximum death penalty under Pakistan's penal code.

It is an incendiary issue in the Muslim-majority country, and mere allegations of insulting Islam have sparked lynchings and vigilante violence in the past.

"It is a great relief that this shameful ordeal has finally come to an end and Asia Bibi and her family are safe," said Omar Waraich, deputy South Asia director at Amnesty International.

"She should never have been imprisoned in the first place, let alone endure the constant threats to her life. This case horrifyingly illustrates the dangers of Pakistan's blasphemy laws and the urgent need to repeal them."

Violent protests

Bibi – a laborer from central Punjab province – was first convicted of blasphemy in 2010 and was on death row until her acquittal last year.

Her case swiftly became the most infamous in Pakistan, drawing worldwide attention to extremism in the country.

She has technically been free to leave Pakistan since January when the Supreme Court dismissed a legal challenge to her acquittal in October.

Since then, Bibi has been widely believed to have been held in protective custody by authorities as she awaited an asylum deal in a third country.

In November, Trudeau said Ottawa was holding talks with Pakistan about bringing her to Canada, which he said is "a welcoming country."

Bibi's lawyer Saif ul Mulook and multiple security sources in Pakistan also told AFP on condition of anonymity that Bibi had gone to Canada.

Many blasphemy cases in Pakistan see Muslims accusing Muslims, but rights activists have warned that religious minorities – particularly Christians – are often caught in the crossfire, with such accusations used to settle personal scores.

Two politicians have been assassinated in connection with Bibi's case, and she spent much of her time in prison in solitary confinement because of fears she could be attacked by a guard or another prisoner.

Islamist groups have regularly called for her to be executed, and activists have warned that she would not be safe in Pakistan.

Following Bibi's acquittal in October, the country was gripped for days by violent protests led by the hardline group Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP), which also called for mutiny in the armed forces and assassination of the country's top judges for acquitting her.

In the wake of the nationwide protests, TLP's leaders – who paralyzed the capital Islamabad for weeks in 2017 with an anti-blasphemy sit-in – were rounded up in a government crackdown months ago and remain in detention.

Christians – who make up around 2% of the population – occupy one of the lowest rungs in class-obsessed Pakistani society, largely living in slums and working menial jobs as street sweepers, cleaners and cooks. – Rappler.com

CEBU CITY, Philippines — A memo issued by the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) prohibits journalists from interviewing detainees under their custody without prior permission.

Mayor Tommy Osmeña shared the memo on his Facebook page on Thursday, May 2.

 "Effective immediately media personalities who wish to interview with Person/s Under Police Custody (PUPC) shall first secure clearance from the office of the Acting City Director. Without such, no interview shall be permitted," the memo read.

In his Facebook post, Osmeña said: “What are you trying to hide CCPO?”

For several months now the reelectionist mayor has been butting heads with CCPO chief Police Colonel Royina Garma.

A few days before Easter Sunday, April 21, Osmeña complained about the setting up of a police checkpoint outside his home in Barangay Guadalupe here.

Osmeña has also alleged that police have been raiding without warrants the homes of barangay captains allied with Bundok Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK).

“First, a death threat and then a gag order. No search warrant, a ‘buy bust’ caught on CCTV where they break into a someone’s house, hit a baby, brutalize the pregnant mother, and steal her money,” Osmeña said in his Facebook post.

Osmeña was referring to the CCTV footage of 6 armed men, believed to be police officers, seen beating up alleged drug suspect Eddie Basillote in Barangay Carreta, Cebu City.

The CCTV video was dated stamped on April 18, uploaded online and went viral.

Commission on Human Rights (CHR) 7 Chief Investigator Leo Villarino told Rappler that Basillote’s family has approached their office even before the video went viral and they were already conducting an investigation.

Villarino said that the team probing the incident was denied access to the blotter by the Talamban Police Station – the station of the suspected policemen.

“If police can show the blotter to the media, why can’t they show this document to a constitutional office... It’s appalling, it’s disgusting, it’s insulting.” said Villarino.

Garma said she has ordered Major Elizandro Quijano, the Talamban police Chief, to file a report on the incident.

Osmeña, who in the past worked closely with the police chiefs of the city and the region, told Rappler in October 2018 that the rise in killings in Cebu happened with the arrival of Garma and Police Brigadier General Debold Sinas, director of the Police Regional Office Central Visayas. Sinas took over June 4, 2018, while Garma was appointed July 1.

Garma was previously a station commander in Davao City.

According to a report in The Freeman, allies of Osmeña filed a case against police for allegedly forcing them to alight from their vehicles during a recent checkpoint stop. – with a report from Micole Gerard Tizon/Rappler.com 

LONDON, United Kingdom (UPDATED) – Britain's Prince Harry and wife Meghan gave the world the first glimpse of their "dream" newborn boy, whose name is Archie, on Wednesday, May 8.

"The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are pleased to announce they have named their firstborn child: Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor," the couple announced on their Instagram account.

Harry, 34, and 37-year-old Meghan on Wednesday emerged in front of the cameras inside Windsor Castle to show off their son born on Monday, May 6, ahead of introducing him to great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth II.

"He's just been a dream," said a smiling Meghan, in her first public comments since giving birth to the seven-pound, three-ounce (3.26-kilogram) baby, who stayed firmly asleep during his public unveiling.

"He has the sweetest temperament. He's really calm," added the Duchess of Sussex, as Prince Harry cradled the newborn, wrapped in a white blanket, by her side.

Royal watchers have been desperate for a glimpse of the new baby, who is seventh in the line to the British throne, ever since the couple announced his birth to their 6.5 million followers on Instagram with the message "It's a BOY!"

"Parenting is amazing," Harry said, the day after brother Prince William – two years his senior and with 3 children of his own – had jokingly welcomed him to the "sleep deprivation society that is parenting."

"We're just so thrilled to have our own little bundle of joy."

Meghan added: "It's been a special couple of days."

'Nice moment'

The couple revealed Queen Elizabeth's husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, had got a sneak preview in a chance encounter in the corridors of Windsor Castle.

"We just bumped into the Duke as we were walking by, which was so nice," said Meghan.

"It'll be a nice moment to introduce the baby to more family."

Prince Charles, on a visit to Germany on Tuesday, May 7, said he was "obviously delighted" and "impatient" to see his fourth grandchild.

The heir to the British throne, speaking in German, said he would see the baby "in the coming days when things are calmer."

Crowds have gathering outside Windsor Castle, west of London, all week to wish them well.

It was a rare piece of good news for a nation consumed by the protracted Brexit drama.

And it has given people a chance to celebrate royal traditions – this time with a young American twist.

Former US TV star Meghan has created a fresh buzz around the century-old House of Windsor. Some fans have also been intrigued by her heritage.

"I want to see how he'll look. As Meghan is mixed race, I'm curious," said Zahra Kibue, 34, who lived in Kenya before moving to England a few years ago.

Meghan has also made waves with her modernizing ways.

She raised eyebrows by closing her own car door – a task usually performed by aides – and has ignored tradition by keeping the birth private and well away from the prying media's eyes.

Most UK media assumed that Meghan had opted for a home birth, but The Daily Mail reported that those plans were "dashed as she was secretly whisked to a London hospital on Sunday, May 5, by Harry and his Scotland Yard security team."

The Sun, a competing tabloid, said Meghan ended up being secretly rushed to a £15,000-a-night ($20,000, 17,500-euro) London hospital before giving birth "at exactly sunrise." – Rappler.com

KIEV, Ukraine – Ukraine said on Wednesday, May 8, it will not recognize Russian passports issued to Ukrainian citizens in the territories occupied by Kremlin-backed rebels, comparing them to Nazi identity documents.

"These passports will be considered illegal," Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman told the government meeting.

"We will never recognize any citizenship that was issued by the aggressor state. This is like Nazi Germany issuing Ausweis (identity document) for certain people," Groysman added.

Ukrainians with Russian passports will not be able to cross the state border and use them on the territory of Ukraine.

The same rule will apply to Russians who have received their passports at centers that issue documents to residents of separatist republics, warned Groysman.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that Russia "will continue to issue passports to those citizens who want them and who fall under the presidential decree" Vladimir Putin signed in April.

The decree made it easier for people living in eastern Ukraine's separatist territories to obtain Russian passports, drawing swift condemnation from Kiev and its western allies.

Putin also said recently that Ukrainians and Russians were "one people" and would benefit from common citizenship as the "brotherly nations."

The conflict between the Kiev government and breakaway rebels began after Moscow annexed Ukraine's Crimea peninsula in 2014.

The war has claimed some 13,000 lives. – Rappler.com

BANGKOK, Thailand – Thailand's army-backed party needs only a small number of allies to get enough votes to allow coup leader Prayut Chan-O-Cha to cling to power, according to final election results released late Wednesday, May 8, that were immediately challenged by anti-junta rivals.

The junta-linked Palang Pracharat party now has 115 seats in the lower house, only 11 votes shy of a majority in the combined parliament thanks to 250 military-appointed senators.

The results were announced more than a month after the March 24 vote, the first election since the military seized power in a 2014 coup.

It was held under new rules crafted by the generals, including the creation of appointed senators who can vote for prime minister.

Palang Pracharat party leader Uttama Savanayana said on Facebook after the results that it is "ready to work and move forward with our policies we promised to the people."

Despite the booked-in advantage, the lower house results leave the party needing a little help from coalition partners.

The most obvious candidates are Bhumjaitai and the Democrat Party, which both have more than 50 lower house seats.

Officials from both said Wednesday they have yet to reach a decision.

"The party is split," longtime Democrat official Sirichok Sopha told Agence France-Presse.

The election was widely seen as a choice between junta-backed rule and those aligned with billionaire ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

A whopping 27 parties will have seats when parliament convenes within 15 days.

Wednesday's results are likely to set off horse trading, negotiations and challenges.

'Abuse of the law'

The Shinawatra-linked Pheu Thai party won the most lower house seats with 136 – posing a legitimacy crisis for the gruff junta leader Prayut should he become prime minister.

Pheu Thai threatened to take legal action over the formula used to calculate seats, calling the Election Commission's action "an intentional abuse of the law and against the constitution."

It is part of a lower house coalition with 6 other parties, including upstart newcomer Future Forward headed by telegenic billionaire Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, who led the youth-oriented force to third place in the popular vote and 80 seats.

But Thanathorn has been hounded by legal complaints that the rising star has blasted as "political sabotage."

He said Wednesday in a press conference that Future Forward was ready to talk to any party "that does not support Prayut as a prime minister in order for our democracy to move forward."

The Election Commission has come under fire for wildly inaccurate initial counts, 2.1 million invalidated ballots, and the staggered released of full results.

It has been flooded with complaints since the election, and recounts and new voting sessions were held in a handful of polling stations.

Even if Prayut clinches the prime minister's post, Palang Pracharat may not cobble together enough lower house seats to ram through legislation.

"That means a stalemate in terms of making any policy," said political scientist Napisa Waitoolkiat of Naresuen University.

The junta has portrayed itself as a necessary force to maintain stability in Thailand, which is broadly divided between populist forces and an arch-royalist army-backed elite.

The release of election results comes two days after the end of the elaborate coronation for Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn, the 10th monarch of the Chakri dynasty. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte said he has no desire to pursue cases against people behind a supposed conspiracy to discredit him.

"I'm not interested to file cases," Duterte said on Wednesday, May 8, in Bohol, during a campaign rally for his former cabinet secretary Leoncio Evasco Jr, who is running for governor in that province.

Earlier that day, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo raised the possibility that libel cases would be filed against people in the diagrams.

In his speech, Duterte again slammed the "Bikoy" videos as "black propaganda" and repeated that the Liberal Party and Magdalo Party are behind it.

Duterte was still vague about the source of the diagrams. He only said it came from the "intelligence community," and that the source is "not a Filipino."

Former government officials, journalists, and even athletes are named in the diagrams. Many have released statements vehemently denying their involvement  in a conspiracy to produce and spread the "Bikoy" videos.

Malacañang denied the release of the diagrams were a form of crackdown on legitimate dissent. – Rappler.com

WASHINGTON, USA – President Donald Trump's son Donald Jr was subpoenaed Wednesday, May 8,  to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee as part of its probe into Russian election meddling, US media reported.

It was the first known legal summons issued by Congress to a member of the president's family to force testimony in the ongoing investigation, and comes after Special Counsel Robert Mueller declined to accuse Trump's 2016 campaign of criminal conspiracy to collude with the Russians.

The surprise subpoena was issued by a Republican-led committee, opening a new source of strain between the Congress and a White House battling the legislature's pressure on multiple points.

It came one day after Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell declared "case closed" for the Russia investigation.

Donald Jr., 41, has testified voluntarily in private once to the committee, and was peppered with questions about a June 9, 2016 meeting in Trump Tower in New York that he and other senior Trump campaign officials had with a Russian lawyer offering dirt on Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

He was also quizzed about direct communications he had with Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, which leaked damaging documents and communications stolen by Russians from Clinton's campaign.

Committee sources would not confirm the subpoena or what they want to discuss with the president's eldest son, who currently helps run the Trump Organization, the family's real estate empire, and helps his father re-election campaign.

Citing a person close to Donald Jr, the Wall Street Journal said he had offered to answer questions in writing from the committee, and planned to fight the subpoena which demands that he testify in person. – Rappler.com

WINDSOR, United Kingdom – Britain's Prince Harry and wife Meghan on Wednesday, May 8, announced their new "dream" son's name is Archie, hours after showing him off to the world for the first time.

"The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are pleased to announce they have named their first born child: Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor," the couple announced on their Instagram account, ending months of speculation.

The informal choice defied the bookmakers' predictions and confirmed the couple's determination not to be bound by tradition.

Archie's proud parents emerged in front of the cameras inside Windsor Castle earlier Wednesday to show off their son, ahead of introducing him to great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth II.

"He's just been a dream," said a smiling Meghan, 37, in her first public comments since giving birth to the seven-pound, three-ounce (3.26-kilogram) baby, who stayed firmly asleep during his public unveiling.

"He has the sweetest temperament. He's really calm," added the Duchess of Sussex, as Prince Harry cradled the newborn, wrapped in a white blanket, by her side.

Royal watchers had been desperate for a glimpse of the new baby, who is seventh in the line to the British throne, ever since the couple announced his birth to their 6.5 million followers on Instagram with the message "It's a BOY!"

"Parenting is amazing," said 34-year-old Harry, the day after brother Prince William – two years his senior and with 3 children of his own – had jokingly welcomed him to the "sleep deprivation society that is parenting".

"We're just so thrilled to have our own little bundle of joy."

Meghan added: "It's been a special couple of days."

'Nice moment'

Royal fan Margaret Tyler told AFP that Harry appeared to be "absolutely besotted" by his son.

"He looks absolutely adorable, he is like a little doll, isn't he?", she said outside Windsor Castle, west of London. "What proud parents he's got."

The couple revealed Queen Elizabeth's husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, had got a sneak preview in a chance encounter in the corridors of Windsor Castle.

"We just bumped into the Duke as we were walking by, which was so nice," said Meghan.

"It'll be a nice moment to introduce the baby to more family."

Prince Charles, on a visit to Germany on Tuesday, May 7, said he was "obviously delighted" and "impatient" to see his fourth grandchild.

The heir to the British throne, speaking in German, said he would see the baby "in the coming days when things are calmer".

Crowds have gathering outside Windsor Castle all week to wish them well.

It was a rare piece of good news for a nation consumed by the protracted Brexit drama.

And it has given people a chance to celebrate royal traditions – this time with a young American twist.

Former US TV star Meghan has created a fresh buzz around the century-old House of Windsor. Some fans have also been intrigued by her heritage.

"I want to see how he'll look. As Meghan is mixed race, I'm curious", said Zahra Kibue, 34, who lived in Kenya before moving to England a few years ago.

No title

Meghan has also made waves with her modernizing ways and recently raised eyebrows by closing her own car door – a task usually performed by aides.

She also ignored tradition by keeping the birth and recovery process private, unlike sister-in-law Kate, who appeared before the cameras hours after giving birth.

The couple have also chosen not to use courtesy titles at present, although he could become a prince when his grandfather, the Prince of Wales, becomes king.

The inspiration behind the name is now likely to be the main source of speculation.

The name has traditionally been used as a shortened version of the old English and Scottish name Archibald, meaning "truly brave", but has recently become increasingly popular in its own right.

It was the 15th most popular boy's name in Britain last year, according to website Baby Centre, using official figures.

British bookmakers had a busy few months of betting on the name, with Archie a rank outsider.

UK royal names are normally chosen from a relatively restricted pool of those used by past kings and queens.

But Meghan and Harry are anything but normal royals, and reports had emerged that the couple were considering an unusual name that was relevant to both Britain and the US. – Rappler.com

CARACAS, Venezuela – Venezuelan intelligence agents arrested Wednesday, May 8, the deputy leader of the opposition-dominated National Assembly, a move immediately denounced by its leader Juan Guaido.

Edgar Zambrano, Guaido's deputy as National Assembly speaker, was detained by intelligence agents in Caracas for backing the failed April 30 uprising orchestrated by Guaido.

"We warn the people of Venezuela and the international community: the regime has kidnapped the first vice-president" of the National Assembly, Guaido said in a Twitter message.

"They are trying to destroy the power representing all Venezuelans, but they will not achieve it," Guaido said.

Separately, Venezuela's Supreme Court indicted 3 more lawmakers for backing Guaido's uprising.

The 3 – named as Freddy Superlano, Sergio Vergara and Juan Andres Mejia – are accused of high treason and conspiracy.

It brings to 10 the number of opposition lawmakers indicted for supporting Guaido, following a court announcement indicting seven others on Tuesday, May 7.

Soon after the announcement, the Constituent Assembly – which effectively acts as a regime rubber stamp – stripped the 7 of their parliamentary immunity.

Guaido, who is recognized as Venezuela's interim president by more than 50 countries, was himself stripped of his immunity on April 2.

The Constituent Assembly has said it would suspend the immunity of any lawmakers who backed the uprising, which set off two days of clashes between security forces and protesters. Attorney General Tarek William Saab says the clashes left 6 people dead.

Dozens more were injured and more than 233 were arrested.

Guaido said in a speech after the first indictments on Tuesday that the government's "only response... is to persecute, because they no longer govern, because they no longer have command." – Rappler.com

NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte assured justice for the victims of the April 25 ambush that killed the brother and nephew of a vice mayor in Moises Padilla town here.

Duterte arrived late Wednesday afternoon, May 8, in Moises Padilla town for a command conference with the police and military officials of Western Visayas and Central Visayas to look into the security measures of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental.

Moises Padilla is currently under the control of the Commission on Elections due to the recent election-related violence. This includes the ambush on the campaign convoy of Vice Mayor Ella Garcia-Yulo in Barangay Inolingan.

The vice mayor survived but her brother Mark Garcia, former Moises Padilla Liga ng mga Barangay president, and nephew, Councilor Michael Garcia, were killed after they sacrificed their lives so she and the others could take cover in the nearby houses. The assailants finished them off with shots to their heads.

She is challenging Moises Padilla Mayor Magdaleno Peña, who is her uncle, for the mayoral post this May 13 polls.

She also accused the mayor of masterminding the attack, an allegation that was already denied by Peña.

Yulo said she was able to meet Duterte briefly before the command conference and the President assured her that justice would be served and there would be no cover-up.

The country’s top chief executive also assured the residents of their safety when they go out and vote on May 13 as it would be the priority of the police and the military, she added.

Michael Garcia was the third councilor to be killed in the province this year.

The ambush on April 25 came 3 weeks after reelectionist Moises Padilla Councilor Jolomar Hilario was killed in his home on March 30 in Barangay Inolingan by the New People’s Army. It also occurred 3 days after Escalante City Councilor Bernardino Patigas was shot dead on April 22. – Rappler.com

PARIS, France – The world consumed 10% more alcohol per adult in 2017 than in 1990, due in large part to heavier and more widespread drinking in China and India, researchers said Wednesday, May 8.

On current trends, global consumption per capita will rise another 17% over the next decade, they reported in The Lancet.

By 2030 half of all adults worldwide will drink alcohol, and almost a quarter will binge drink at least once a month, according to projections covering 189 countries.

"The world is not on track to achieve global targets to reduce harmful alcohol use," the authors said, calling for more aggressive counter-measures such as higher taxes and a ban on advertising.

The World Health Organization (WHO) goal is to reduce "harmful alcohol use" 10% by 2025.

Alcohol is linked to over 200 diseases and accounts for more than 3 million deaths – 75% of them men – each year, the WHO has said.

Globally, some 237 million men and 46 million women suffer from alcohol-related disorders, with the highest rates in Europe (15 and 3.5% , respectively, for men and women) and North America (11.5 and 5%).

"Before 1990, most alcohol was consumed in high-income countries, with the highest use levels recorded in Europe," said lead author Jakob Manthey, a researcher at the Institute of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy in Dresden, Germany.

"However, this pattern has changed substantially, with large reductions across Eastern Europe and vast increases in several middle-income countries such as China, India, and Vietnam."

US, China trade places

While the broad trend lines are clear, they have yet to intersect.

In 2017 a higher percentage of adults 15 and older in Europe and North America still consumed alcohol – and more of it – than in other parts of the world.

In France, for example, men drank the equivalent of 19 liters of pure alcohol, and women just under 6, for a combined average of just over 12 litres.

Only 14% of men never drank, and 29% of women.

The 2017 figures for the United States were somewhat lower -–15 and 4.5 liters for men and women, respectively, averaging just under 10 – with slightly higher percentages of teetotallers.

In China, men drank more than 11 liters of alcohol, mostly in the form of spirits and beer, while women imbibed 3, for an average of just over 7 liters.

That was less than in the United States, but a nearly 70% jump from China's consumption in 1990.

By 2030, the two countries will have traded places: Chinese adults are projected to drink more than 10 litres on average, while American consumption of alcohol will drop slightly to 9.5 liters.

The percentage of the population who drink will have also shifted in a decade, with 77% in China consuming alcohol at least once in a while, and 73% in the United States.

Dubious distinction

In India, meanwhile, a far smaller percentage of the population – 40 and 22% of men and women, respectively – drank at all in 2017, on average less than 6 liters of pure alcohol.

But that was double the figure for 1990, and the researchers forsee an additional 50% increase by 2030.

By region, the lowest alcohol intakes in 2017 were in North Africa and the Middle East, typically less than one liter per adult per year.

The highest were in central and eastern European countries, with several averaging more than 12 liters per adult per year.

Moldova had the dubious distinction of ranking number one, with more than 15 liters consumed, while Russia, France and Portugal -–at 12 liters each – were not too far behind.

Globally, alcohol intake went up from 5.9 liters of pure alcohol per adult in 1990 to 6.5 liters in 1997, and is projected to jump to 7.6 liters in 2030. Worldwide, 45% of recorded booze consumption is in the form of spirits such as grain alcohol. Another 15% is beer, and 12 percent is wine.

More than a quarter of alcohol-related deaths in 2016 were due to accidents, violence and self-harm; a fifth due to digestive problems; and a fifth to heart-and-artery disease. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang has declared Monday, May 13, a non-working holiday throughout the country to allow voters to participate in the national and local elections.

“There is a need to declare Monday, 13 May 2019, a special (non-working) holiday to enable the people to properly exercise their right to vote,” Duterte said in Proclamation No. 719 signed and released to the public on Thursday, May 9.

Data from the Commission on Elections show that there are 61,843,750 registered voters in the Philippines alone, with 1,822,173 more registered to vote from overseas. (READ: Your step-by-step guide in voting in May 13 elections) – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Duterte government told the Supreme Court (SC) that human rights lawyers do not need a protection order from the government and the military, saying “there is no extralegal killing and enforced disappearances" among the lawyer's ranks.

Solicitor General Jose Calida, on behalf of President Rodrigo Duterte and the military top brass, made the argument as he filed before the SC on Wednesday, May 8, a return of the writ of amparo issued to human rights group National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL).

A writ of amparo is a legal remedy seeking a protection order – which the SC issued to the NUPL on May 3 – compelling the government to explain themselves with regard to the accusation of red-tagging and harassment.

“The writ shall cover extralegal killings and enforced disappearances or threats thereof. None of the allegations against Major General Parlade Jr constitute extralegal killings and enforced disappearances or threats thereof,” says the 44-page return of writ.

Parlade, the Armed Forces of the Philippines deputy chief of staff for civil military operations, had publicly accused the NUPL of links to communist rebels and had asked the European Union to audit human rights groups for allegedly using financial aid to help the rebels.

Calida based his reasoning on Section 1 of the Rule on the Writ of Amparo. However, the definition that involves extralegal killings and enforced disappearances is the second definition in the rule.

This is the first definition: “The petition for a writ of amparo is a remedy available to any person whose right to life, liberty and security is violated or threatened with violation by an unlawful act or omission of a public official or employee, or of a private individual or entity.”

The NUPL's petition noted to the Court that there have been 55 lawyers attacked and threatened since July 2016, when Duterte assumed the presidency, and of this number, 36 were killed. (READ: International probers: No effective investigation of lawyer killings in PH)

Parlade’s statements

The NUPL claimed that aside from Paralde’s public statements, some of their members were being subjected to what they called army-sanctioned heavy surveillance and harassment.

But Calida said the NUPL’s petition “is not supported by any independent and credible evidence, and hence, stands more precariously than one standing on a nebulous ground.”

"Don't blame government for your being tagged as RED. You have always been RED by the way you respond to situations. Your name is all over the RED websites,” was one of Parlade’s statements against NUPL and other human rights groups such as Karapatan, which filed a supplemental petition with the High Court.

Calida said “these alleged threats are, however, a mere amalgamation of facts based on newspaper clippings and unverified statements, threats more imagined than real, and exaggerated to create the ghost of a cause of action.”

Citing an earlier SC ruling, Calida said: “The Supreme Court elucidated that the writ of amparo is, however, an extraordinary remedy, and being a remedy of extraordinary character, it is not one to issue on amorphous or uncertain grounds but only upon reasonable certainty.”

Duterte

Duterte was named as a respondent, and among those the SC ordered to explain with regard to the accusations.

Calida said the President could not be impleaded because of his immunity from suit.

“Furthermore, the petition is simply bereft of any allegation as to what specific presidential act or omission violated or threatened to violate petitioners’ protected rights,” Calida said.

The Court of Appeals (CA) will hold a hearing on May 14 to decide whether there needs to be a protection order for the NUPL, which will look like a restraining order of sorts.

The SC had also issued a writ of habeas data, and initially compelled the Duterte government and the military to turn over to the Court all their information on the lawyers.

The NUPL has also complained to the SC its inclusion in a Malacañang-backed ouster matrix, which groups called completely baseless. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Police chief-turned-senator Panfilo Lacson  said he does not buy the so-called matrix released by Malacañang. 

"Hindi rin ako bilib sa matrix na pinalabas ni Secretary (Salvador) Panelo (I don't believe the matrix Secretary Panelo released)," Lacson said in a coffee session at the Senate on Thursday, May 9.

On Wednesday, Malacañang released a new set of diagrams to reinforce its claim that groups allied with the opposition are "conspiring" against President Rodrigo Duterte. (READ: Conspiracy diagrams show new level of ‘idiocy, incompetence’)

Lacson doubted the diagrams, he said, because the illustrations included even Filipina Olympic medalist Hidylin Diaz, and broadcaster Gretchen Ho.

"She has brought honor, and pride, prestige to the country, tapos biglang masasali doon (and then she's included there)? May time ba 'yung bata na makialam sa destabilization (Does she have time to engage in destabilization)?" Lacson said.

"Parang napaka-unlikely. Kung sinuman ang nagprepare ng matrix or information na 'yun, parang kulang sa research (It seems very unlikely. Whoever prepared that matrix or information, it seems like it lacked research)."

As with the first "ouster plot matrix,"  however, Presidential Spokesman and legal counsel Salvador Panelo could not say where the diagrams came from. (READ: Conspiracy diagrams show new level of ‘idiocy, incompetence’)

Though at first he said it was "intelligence information," he could not identify which intelligence or law enforcement agencies provided the Palace the documents.– Rappler.com

YANGON, Myanmar – After relentless diplomatic pressure and global outrage, fallen democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi finally decided that a pardon for two Myanmar journalists jailed for reporting on a Rohingya massacre was the only way to resolve an issue that has dogged her government for nearly 18 months.

Observers say the unexpected release of the two Reuters reporters was a political decision timed to save face for the country's civilian leader, after a vigorous international campaign that saw Amal Clooney join their legal team, Time magazine put the pair on their cover, and journalism awards and honors pile up – including the prestigious Pulitzer Prize.

A presidential pardon freed Wa Lone, 33, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 29, from prison on Tuesday to a media frenzy and messages of congratulations from the White House to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

The pair spent more than 500 days behind bars under colonial-era state secrets convictions after probing the extrajudicial killing of 10 Rohingya Muslims during a military crackdown.

Global attention on the reporters and the damage already done to the country's reputation were "potentially costly" to the government, said independent analyst Richard Horsey.

Nobel Laureate Suu Kyi – already seen as a pariah by many for perceived complicity in the Rohingya's plight – provoked outcry when she refused to intervene, insisting "rule of law" must be followed.

The abrupt decision to release the pair this week was made because Myanmar's leaders had "taken into consideration the long-term interest of (the) country", said government spokesman Zaw Htay.

Retired Thai diplomat Kobsak Chutikul, who has worked in an advisory capacity to Suu Kyi's government, told AFP that senior officials had all known a pardon must be granted at some point but "nobody felt they could bring this up with her".

Political timing was also a factor, observers say.

Myanmar is due to go to the polls next year and this was a chance to "get it out of the way" beforehand rather than risk overshadowing the vote, Kobsak said.

'Albatross round their necks'

Behind the international condemnation, backroom diplomacy appears to have played a key role in convincing Suu Kyi to pardon the reporters.

One man waiting among the crowds outside the gates of Yangon's notorious Insein Prison was British health expert Lord Ara Darzi, whose name barely came up during regular media coverage of the saga.

A close confidant of Suu Kyi, he has regularly visited the country over the past two years in an advisory role on a Rakhine state commission.

But he has known the leaders for years, and hosted her in London after her release from house arrest.

"From what I hear, he finally found the opportunity to convince Suu Kyi this was an albatross hanging round their necks," said Kobsak, who served alongside Darzi on another Myanmar government commission.

The discussion would have taken place "behind the scenes, in quiet conversations in her house", he added.

Darzi later hinted about his role to reporters at a press conference following the journalists' release.

"The lesson is simple: dialogue works even in the most difficult of circumstances," he said.

Presidential pardons are traditionally granted around the Myanmar new year in April.

Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were freed in the third amnesty in just over a week that saw a total of 23,000 prisoners released.

The pair were handed a seven-year jail sentence last September, upheld first by Yangon's High Court and then the country's Supreme Court last month.

Reuters maintained the duo were imprisoned in retaliation for their expose, while legal experts argued the case was riddled with irregularities.

With the judicial process having run its course all the way to Myanmar's top court, Suu Kyi "may have been convinced the twisted passage of justice had been served," Yangon-based analyst David Mathieson said, calling her change of heart a "political calculation".

Despite the release, observers warn against reading too much into prospects for greater press freedom in the beleaguered democracy, which began a troubled transition from military rule in 2010.

"The pardon will not change the conditions that journalists (in Myanmar) are facing," said activist Cheery Zahau. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – Peter Joemel Advincula, the man known as "Bikoy," was backed by a number of Philippine National Police (PNP) officials in 2016, when he was detained at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) and allegedly offered to testify against the Aquino administration.

Senator Panfilo  Lacson announced this in a press conference at the Senate on Thursday, May 9. (READ: Lacson dismisses Malacañang matrix: 'Kulang sa research')

"May mga nag-handle sa kanya noon based on information na... active members of the PNP at the time noong 2016 (He had handlers before, based on information, they were members of the PNP at the time)," Lacson said.

He declined to name the cops, but said, "some are ranking police officials who [were] working with him."

A former PNP chief himself, Lacson said he was unsure whether Advincula was still backed by the police officials. (READ: TIMELINE: The 'Bikoy' controversy)

It was also unclear how the cops allegedly assisted Advincula.

In a text message to Rappler, PNP spokesman Colonel Bernard Banac said the police will include the findings of Lacson in their investigation on Advincula.

Advincula was released from Bilibid in 1986. He claimed to have produced the viral video series "Ang Totoong Narco List" which accused people close to President Rodrigo Duterte of involvement in the narcotics trade.

He offered to formalize the allegations with a sworn written complaint but the lawyers he sought from the Integrated Bar of the Philippines declined to give him legal assistance.

A set-up for 'Bikoy'

As chairman of the Senate committee on public order and illegal drugs, Lacson had invited Advincula to a Senate hearing on Friday, May 10, but the latter asked it to be held after elections, fearing that he would be arrested by law enforcement agencies. 

Advincula's suspicion was not entirely off the mark. Lacson revealed in the briefing that the Senate hearing was a "setup" he had concocted with Senate President Vicente Sotto III to see the people behind Advincula, cite him in contempt, detain him at the Senate, and "not let him go."

On Wednesday, Sotto and his political staffer Hutch Altavas claimed to have contacted Advincula as early as December 2016, with the whistle-blower supposedly promising dirt on former president Benigno Aquino III and his erstwhile Cabinet members Mar Roxas and Leila de Lima. (READ: ‘Bikoy’ had same drug allegations vs Aquino administration in 2016 – Sotto)

Sotto said when they vetted documents provided by Advincula, however, these did not check out. So the senator dropped him. After Sotto's presentation, Lacson canceled his invitation for Advincula.

"Zero credibility siya, maski magsabi pa siya ng 'Ito ang kausap ko'...Wala na tayong papaniwalaan sa sinasabi niya (He has zero credibility, even if he says 'This is the person I spoke with'...We won't believe anything he says)," Lacson said.– Rappler.com

THIMPU, Bhutan –  It's Saturday in Bhutan and Lotay Tshering has just completed urinary bladder repair surgery on a patient at the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital.

But Tshering is no ordinary doctor. During the week, he also happens to be prime minister in the Himalayan kingdom famous for measuring citizens' Gross National Happiness.

"For me it's a de-stresser," said Tshering, who was elected prime minister of the nation of 750,000 people last year in only its third democratic election since the end of absolute monarchy in 2008.

"Some people play golf, some do archery, and I like to operate. I am just spending my weekends here," the 50-year-old told AFP.

No one at the hospital bats an eyelid as Tshering, wearing a faded lab coat and crocs, walks through the busy corridors. Nurses and hospital attendants continue with their jobs as normal.

A case apart

The Buddhist kingdom is in many ways a case apart, benchmarking itself on happiness instead of economic growth. 

One of the pillars of Gross National Happiness is conservation of the environment. Bhutan is carbon negative and its constitution mandates that 60% of the country remains forested. It is also big on ecotourism and charges a daily fee of $250 per visitor in high season.

The capital Thimphu has no traffic lights, the sale of tobacco is banned, and television was only allowed in 1999. 

Archery competitions, with liberal amounts of the local firewater, are a national craze. Phalluses painted on houses to ward off evil are also a common sight.

But the "Land of the Thunder Dragon" also has its problems, among them corruption, rural poverty, youth unemployment and criminal gangs.

Tshering, who trained in Bangladesh, Japan, Australia and the United States, began his political career in 2013, but his party failed to make headway in that year's election.

After losing, King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck commanded him to lead a team of doctors and travel with the monarch's entourage to far-flung villages to provide free medical treatment.

Now as prime minister, he spends Saturdays treating patients referred to him and Thursday mornings offering medical advice to trainees and doctors. Sunday is family time.

Back in the prime minister's office, a lab coat hangs on the back of his chair. 

This, he said, serves as a reminder of his election pledge to focus on healthcare.

Patients don't have to pay directly for healthcare in Bhutan, but Tshering says that much more remains to be done despite important strides in medical treatment.

While the country has seen major improvements in life expectancy, a reduction in infant mortality and the elimination of many infectious diseases, the number of lifestyle diseases – including alcoholism and diabetes – is on the rise.

"We must now slowly put more focus on secondary and tertiary healthcare," Tshering said.

Under the PM's knife

At the hospital, Tshering's patient, a 40-year-old man named Bumthap who underwent a five-hour bladder repair surgery, told AFP he was pleased with the results.

"Now that I have been operated on by the prime minister, who is considered one of the best doctors in the country, I feel more relieved," he said.

Politics, the prime minister said, is a lot like being a doctor.

"At the hospital I scan and treat patients. In the government, I scan the health of policies and try to make them better," he said.

"I will continue doing this until I die and I miss not being able to be here every day," he added.

And on the days when he drives his car around the capital Thimphu – instead of using his official chauffeur – an-all-too familiar urge takes hold of him.

"Whenever I drive to work on weekdays, I wish I could turn left towards the hospital." – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's unpredictable speeches frequently contain bombshell pronouncements, but the surprise this time came in the form of a cockroach ambling along the leader's shoulder.

The bug popped up on Duterte as he was extolling the virtues of the candidates he has endorsed in next week's midterm polls at a campaign rally late Wednesday, May 8.

An aide tried and failed to scrape the critter away with some papers, but Duterte brushed it aside as the government broadcast cut to a smiling but bemused audience in the central city of Bohol.

Duterte, who was nearing the end of his roughly 90-minute address, joked that the insect belongs to the opposition party.

The leader's critics quickly took to Twitter to mock his close encounter with the roach, which is more frequently seen scurrying over refuse. 

"The cockroach must have realized that duterte is the trashiest trash it has ever seen," wrote @andy_crush.

"And I never thought I would say this but GOOD JOB EXPOSING THAT TRASH, DEAR COCKROACH," @keeyaaraaa posted.

Duterte is on the campaign trail to rally support for his candidates in next week's midterm polls, in which some 18,000 seats ranging from local councils to the upper house Senate are up for grabs. – Rappler.com