MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang is open to making the controversial dengue vaccine Dengvaxia available to Filipinos as the government struggles to address a surge in dengue cases.

"If the weight of findings show that there is benefit in using Dengvaxia against dengue, then certainly the government should consider it,"  Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said in an interview with reporters on Wednesday, July 31.

But he stressed the need to "thoroughly investigate" the safety and efficacy of using Dengvaxia. If experts can vouch for the vaccine, the Palace would not shut its doors to it.

"We’re always open to anything that will benefit the Filipino people. We’re not closed to any suggestion," said the Duterte spokesman.

Panelo was responding to the appeal of former health secretary and now Iloilo 1st District Representative Janette Garin for the government to allow the use of Dengvaxia in the Philippines, saying the rise in dengue cases would not have happened if the anti-dengue vaccination program was continued.

Garin had implemented the program when she was health chief under the administration of Benigno Aquino III. 

Some 837,000 Filipino gradeschoolers were already vaccinated before the vaccine's manufacturer, French pharmaceutical Sanofi Pasteur, announced in November 2017 that Dengvaxia might lead a person to get severe dengue if he or she had not been infected by the virus before immunization.

In the aftermath of the Dengvaxia scandal, immunization rates across the country decreased. It led to an outbreak of the vaccine-preventable measles. (READ: A year after Dengvaxia: Immunization drops, measles outbreaks soar)

Aquino, Garin, and other former government officials faced complaints in relation to the controversy.

The Public Attorney's Office had filed complaints before the Department of Justice linking the use of the vaccine to over 30 deaths, including that of a doctor who got the vaccine in 2016 and died in 2018 of community-acquired pneumonia.

The Department of Health (DOH) and several vaccine experts have insisted that there were no proven links between Dengvaxia and the reported deaths.

The DOH declared a "national dengue alert" on July 15 because of the alarming rise in dengue infections which had killed nearly 500 people this year as of July 6.

In regions like Mimaropa, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, and Northern Mindanao, the number had risen past the epidemic threshold or the critical number of cases required for an epidemic to be declared.

The government said there have been at least 106,630 dengue cases from January 1 to June 29, 2019 – 85% more than the 57,564 cases reported in the same period in 2018.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III had earlier explained that dengue cases had been observed to peak every 3 to 4 years, with the last peak occurring in 2016. Given the pattern, the health department expected an increase in cases this year.– Rappler.com

HONG KONG, China – Growing ranks of Hong Kong's typically conservative and publicity-shy bureaucrats have begun an unprecedented online dissent campaign against the city's pro-Beijing leaders over their response to weeks of violent pro-democracy protests.

Multiple open letters have been signed by hundreds of anonymous civil servants in the past week condemning the administration of city leader Carrie Lam and the police.

A group of civil servants have also announced plans to hold a rally on Friday night, August 2 – something unheard of from a demographic that usually eschews politics.

The letters – accompanied by photos of civil servant identity cards with personal details obscured – bemoan Lam's lack of leadership and refusal to compromise as her administration grapples with huge protests rocking the international finance hub.

Civil servants interviewed by AFP said they felt compelled to speak out after nearly two months of chaos that shows no signs of abating, with Lam seemingly unable – or unwilling – to find a solution and Beijing continuing to back her government.

Many decided to break their silence after a vicious attack on protesters by pro-government thugs and suspected triad members that left 45 people in hospital.

"I hope to use this letter to tell citizens that the people are our real bosses," a 30-year-old executive officer and anonymous signatory who only gave her surname Leung, told AFP.

"We need to use this special role of ours to make sure the government squarely faces and responds to issues."

'Speak up now'

An officer in her mid-twenties in the government's food and environmental hygiene department said she planned to attend Friday's rally because Lam's administration had not shown "a sliver of conscience".

"If I don't speak up now, I would be complicit in their abuses," she told AFP.

"The current government has lost its credibility and used the violence of the system and the police to suppress people's voices and deprive them of their fundamental rights."

The Hong Kong protests were triggered by a government proposal which would have allowed extraditions to mainland China, but have since evolved into a call for wider democratic reforms and a halt to sliding freedoms.

Beyond agreeing to suspend the extradition bill there have been few other concessions from Lam, who has kept a low profile and made few public appearances as clashes between police and protesters have escalated.

The protest movement already had broad support from within the city's legal, religious and business communities.

But growing numbers of professional groups are now speaking out, from architects to flight attendants.

One of the letters published online focused on allegations that the police were too slow to respond to the suspected triad attacks and colluded with the assailants who were filmed leaving the scene unhindered.

"As part of the disciplinary forces, we are extremely ashamed. You have brought shame upon your own shoulders," read a statement by a group of firefighters and paramedics condemning police.

'Extreme bullying'

Chan, an employee in the government's innovation and technology bureau who asked not to reveal his first name, said morale was low among his peers.

"It's very hard not to speculate there's a connection between police and triads," he said, adding the image of his profession had been "seriously damaged".

Police chiefs have forcefully denied allegations of collusion with triads, and said their officers were stretched thin by clashes with protests elsewhere that night.

Other letters penned by civil servants have taken aim at the government.

One described the authorities' actions as "extreme bullying and oppression", while another threatened "concrete industrial action, so that we could humbly join hands with the community at large".

The food department officer, who has attended protests in recent weeks, said her colleagues have had little chance to discuss politics at work.

"Civil servants need to remain politically neutral when carrying out their duties," she said.

"But when we take off our uniforms after work and become Hong Kong citizens again... like everyone else we are anxious and angry towards this shameless government." – Rappler.com

WASHINGTON, USA – Osama bin Laden's son Hamza, chosen heir to the leadership of Al-Qaeda, has been killed, US media reported Wednesday citing American officials.

NBC News said 3 US officials had confirmed they had information of Hamza bin Laden's death, but gave no details of the place or date.

The New York Times subsequently cited two US officials saying they had confirmation that he was killed during the last two years in an operation that involved the United States.

Questioned by reporters in the Oval Office, President Donald Trump did not confirm or deny the NBC report.

"I don't want to comment on it," he said.

Both reports suggested that bin Laden may have been killed well before the US State Department announced a $1 million bounty on his head in February 2019.

The 15th of Osama bin Laden's 20 children and a son of his third wife, Hamza, thought to be about 30 years old, was "emerging as a leader in the Al-Qaeda franchise," the State Department said in announcing the reward.

Sometimes dubbed the "crown prince of jihad, he had put out audio and video messages calling for attacks on the United States and other countries, especially to avenge his father's killing by US forces in Pakistan in May 2011," the department said.

Documents seized in the raid on his father's house in Abbottabad suggested Hamza was being groomed as heir to the Al-Qaeda leadership.

US forces also found a video of the wedding of Hamza to the daughter of another senior Al-Qaeda official that is believed to have taken place in Iran.

Hamza bin Laden's whereabouts have never been pinpointed. He was believed to have been under house arrest in Iran but reports suggest he also may have resided in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Syria.

The group behind the deadly September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, Al-Qaeda's prominence as a radical Islamist group has faded over the past decade in the shadow of the Islamic State group.

But the proliferation of branches and associated jihadist groups in Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria and elsewhere have underscored its continuing potency.

Groomed to lead

At his father's side in Afghanistan before the 9/11 attacks, Hamza learnt how to handle weapons, and ranted in his thin voice against Americans, Jews and "Crusaders" in videos uploaded online.

In 2016 Al-Qaeda released a video message in which he urged Islamic State and other jihadists in Syria to unite, claiming that the fight in the war-torn country paves the way to "liberating Palestine."

"There is no longer an excuse for those who insist on division and disputes now that the whole world has mobilized against Muslims," he said.

In a later message that year he called on Saudi youth to overthrow the kingdom's rulers, telling them to enlist in the Yemen-based Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) to gain battlefield experience.

In 2017 he was placed on the US terrorist blacklist, seen as a potent future figurehead for the group then led by Osama bin Laden's former deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri.

"With the Islamic State 'caliphate' apparently on the verge of collapse, Hamza is now the figure best placed to reunify the global jihadi movement," former FBI special agent and Al-Qaeda specialist Ali Soufan wrote at the time of his blacklisting. – Rappler.com

GOMA, DR Congo – An Ebola epidemic in eastern DR Congo sharply widened Wednesday, July 31, the eve of the first anniversary of the outbreak, with one death and another diagnosis reported and the quarantining of 15 people in a previously unaffected province.

A total of 1,803 lives have been lost in the second worst outbreak of Ebola on record, according to figures released Wednesday.

The Democratic Republic of Congo's pointman on the crisis, Jean-Jacques Muyembe, said a second person had died of Ebola in Goma, a densely-populated city on the border with Rwanda that has transport links to many parts of East Africa.

"A patient who was confirmed with Ebola in Goma has died. Every measure has been taken to block the chain of transmission," Muyembe told AFP.

Later on Wednesday Aruna Abedi, the chief Ebola coordinator in the North Kivu province – which has borne the brunt of the outbreak since it began on August 1 last year – said a third person had tested positive for the disease.

Abedi said that vaccination had started at the affected health center.

"Medical staff and those who had contact with the patient, and those who had contact with them, have been prioritized," he told AFP.

An Ebola response official said the third confirmed case was the one-year-old daughter of the second Goma patient, a father of 10 who had died at the same center earlier in the week.

"The girl had already been showing signs of the disease," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

'Hopeless case'

North Kivu's capital Goma is a lakeside city of more than two million people that has an airport with flights to the capital Kinshasa, Uganda's Entebbe and Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, as well as a port that links to Bukavu and South Kivu province.

Health experts fear outbreaks in major cities, where population density and high mobility make it far harder to isolate patients and trace contacts compared to the countryside.

Abedi earlier said the second fatality had arrived at a treatment center "11 days after falling ill".

"His was really a hopeless case, because the illness was already at an advanced stage and he died overnight Tuesday."

Abedi urged the public to respond swiftly to symptoms of Ebola and "not hide suspect cases".

"The treatment center is not a dying room – you have to bring the patient in early," he said.

Public health emergency

The first death in Goma, reported on July 16, sparked a wave of concern.

In that case, a man described as an evangelical preacher had travelled from Goma to Butembo, one of the towns hardest hit by the outbreak.

While there, he preached at 7 churches and regularly touched worshippers, including the sick, before returning to Goma.

The day after his death was announced, the UN's World Health Organization (WHO) declared the epidemic a "public health emergency of international concern" – a move designed to step up the global response.

Many people in Goma voiced frustration and despair.

"I'm now afraid that this disease will reach us. We used to hear about it from a distance and now the virus is in our town," said 27-year-old worker Anuarite Sifa.

Joseph Bakisula, 32, said: "This new death proves that Ebola was already in Goma. May God help us, otherwise it will be catastrophic for us and other towns" connected to Goma.

"The authorities have to take other steps to protect us."

Meanwhile, in neighboring South Kivu province, which had previously skirted the epidemic, a senior official in Birava said 15 people had been quarantined.

They comprised "a mom and her 6 children who came from Goma as well as other members of her family who had come to meet them," said the official, Christian Birhinjira.

Birava is located about 30 kilometers (18 miles) from South Kivu capital Bukavu.

'Risks are high'

Fears have mounted that the highly contagious virus will cross the DRC's porous borders.

"Economic and human exchanges are very intense," the Central African Republic's health minister, Pierre Somse, warned last week.

"Our livestock farmers sell their cattle in DR Congo. Rebel groups and poachers go back and forth across the border. The risks are high."

Health Minister Oly Ilunga quit in protest on July 22 after President Felix Tshisekedi took personal control of the Ebola campaign.

One key challenge will be protecting doctors and nurses trying to contain the virus.

Attacks on health workers have had a devastating effect, with 7 murdered and more than 50 seriously hurt, according to an unofficial tally.

The epidemic in DR Congo is the second deadliest on record after more than 11,000 people were killed in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia between 2014-2016. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – In a bid to reduce paper consumption, the House committee on rules is currently studying a proposal to digitize the legislative process by providing a tablet each for the 300 legislators.

Senior Deputy Majority Leader Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla told Rappler on Thursday, August 1, that this was among the amendments the panel wanted to introduce to the Rules of the House of Representatives. He is head of the subcommitee tasked to oversee these amendments.

Remulla said using tablets would allow lawmakers to check provisions of bills and resolutions, and monitor their progress in the legislative mill without consuming too much paper.  

He said the House spent P9 million last year on paper alone.  

“We will try to make better use of tablets. We’ll use tablets more for the members because we are the biggest consumer of paper among all government institutions. Last year, I think we spent P9 million [worth of paper] for plenary [work],” said the Cavite 7th District congressman.

Remulla argued that buying tablets would be more cost-efficient for the House. 

He said they are eyeing purchasing Android or open-source tablets with memory cards that would cost some P20,000 for every unit. If each lawmaker gets a tablet and a memory card, the total amount would be P6 million. 

“We already calculated the cost of an Android tablet or open-source tablet. It’s P20,000 with memory card. P20,000 with the memory card times 300, you’re just talking about P6 million. We spent P9 million on paper alone,” said Remulla. 

The rules committee member, however, said congressmen who are "technologically-challenged" would still be allowed to get their copies of bills and resolutions printed on paper. 

Remulla clarified the tablets would still be owned by the House. This means that at the end of the three-year term of lawmakers, they have to return the tablet.

Remulla, however, said tablets often become obsolete after 4 years. This would then require the House to purchase new tablets once the old units are upgraded and no longer available in the market.

The Cavite congressman said the House committee on rules is working closely with members of the House secretariat – many of whom have worked in the lower chamber for years – to introduce more amendments to the House rules.

“We will ask the secretariat to join us for their institutional memory to come into play,” said Remulla.  

Rules on electing Minority Leader: Remulla said his committee also plans to formally include in the House rules the new process of choosing the Minority Leader that was applied in the previous 17th Congress and the current 18th Congress.

In the past Congresses, the candidate for Speaker who gets the second highest of votes automatically becomes the Minority Leader. 

But this was changed in the 17th Congress, when the majority bloc agreed that all those who did not vote for the winning candidate for Speaker automatically became part of the minority bloc. The minority lawmakers then held a separate election for their leader.

This change was the root of the controversy surrounding the minority leadership of then-Quezon 3rd District representative Danilo Suarez.

Suarez had to face a Supreme Court (SC) case challenging his claim to the post.  

In the end, the High Court ruled in favor of Suarez and said it did not find any abuse of discretion on the part of the then-majority bloc to change the House rules.

The same principle was applied when Manila 6th District Representative Bienvenido Abante Jr was elected as Minority Leader under the 18th Congress. 

“The SC petition just affirms the fact that… we can select our Minority Leader in accordance to our own system. And the one we adopted already for the past few Congresses is after the election of the Speaker, those who did not vote for the [winning] Speaker will elect their own Minority Leader,” said Remulla.  

Shorter deliberation for vetoed bills: Remulla said the House committee on rules also plans to make it easier for bills once vetoed by the President to be passed once they are re-filed. 

Currently, if Congress does not move to override the President’s veto on a particular bill, this measure will have to be re-filed and will have to successfully go through another 3 readings in the House and the Senate before it is again given to the President for signing.

The whole process may take months, even years, to complete, as most of the deliberations happen during several hours-long committee hearings. 

Remulla said they now want a provision in the House rules stipulating that a previously vetoed bill would only be required to go through one committee hearing. In this committee hearing, lawmakers would already address the specific concerns of the President on why a bill was vetoed. 

The bill would then be immediately sent to the plenary for its 2nd and 3rd readings. 

“In this case, we do not intend to override the veto. We wish to make the amendments necessary to make the legislation work,” said Remulla.

The Senior Deputy Majority Leader said all of the amendments to the rules they plan to introduce are “time-saving measures” for the House. 

Remulla said the panel targets to have the amended House rules finalized by December. – Rappler.com

CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – The Armed Forces of the Philippines will train around 255 former combatants of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to join government forces securing the Bangsamoro region.

The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) said in a statement that the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), the armed component of the MILF, will be trained to be part of the Joint Peace and Security Team (JPST), in line with the normalization and decommissioning process under the 2014 peace deal between the government and the MILF.

OPAPP said that the JPST team shall establish security of the residents within the 6 government-acknowledged MILF camps during the decommissioning process which will begin on September 7.

President Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez Jr said President Rodrigo Duterte will attend the launch of the decommissioning process.

He said that the training would be the gateway for the former MILF combatants to join the AFP and the PNP in maintaining peace and order in the Bangsamoro region.

"The JPSTs shall composed of members of the AFP, Philippine National Police and MILF-BIAF. These teams will serve until the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao interim government (BTA) ends its term in 2022," Galvez said.

He cited the crucial role of JPSTs as the main security for the decommissioning in the different assembly and processing areas (APAS). They will also assist in settling disputes, and help in the fight against illegal drugs and terrorism.

“These JPSTs will be tasked to maintain peace and order in areas that have been mutually identified by the GPH and the MILF,” Galvez said.

“More importantly, these teams will also support the work being carried out by the existing ceasefire mechanisms, particularly in addressing pressing issues on security and maintaining order,” he added.

The decommissioning of the former MILF fighters members is in line with the Normalization Track of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) signed by the government and the MILF in 2014.

The Normalization Track has 4 main components: security, socio-economic development, confidence-building measures, and transitional justice and reconciliation.

Based on the Normalization Track, 30% or 12,000 MILF combatants and their weapons will be decommissioned this year. At least 35% will undergo the same process next year, while the remaining fighters would be decommissioned by 2022 in time for the signing of the Exit Agreement under the CAB. – Rappler.com

BELFAST, United Kingdom – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday, July 31, visited Northern Ireland, the key battleground in Brexit and the focus of increasingly tense rhetoric on both sides of the Irish Sea.

He arrived in Belfast on Tuesday, July 30, amid warnings from Irish leaders that his vow to leave the European Union, with or without a deal, risks breaking up the United Kingdom.

Those warnings continued on Wednesday.

But during meetings with the province's main political parties he reiterated his determination to split with the EU.

"The Prime Minister made clear that the UK would be leaving the EU on October 31st come what may," a Downing Street spokesperson said.

After meeting Johnson, Mary Lou McDonald, the head of Republican Sinn Fein party, said he had "set the compass for a disorderly and a crash Brexit," meaning that there had now to be the opportunity for Northern Ireland to consider joining the Republic.

"We've made it clear to him that the extensive planning that he tells us he is carrying out in respect of a crash Brexit has to include the constitutional question," she told the BBC.

The backstop

The Republic of Ireland shares a land border with the province that both sides want to keep free-flowing after Brexit, both for economic reasons and to maintain the delicate peace deal that brought an end to decades of violence between the pro-Irish and pro-British communities.

But post-Brexit, that border will become part of the EU's external frontier and would legally require policing.

The agreement struck by Johnson's predecessor Theresa May proposed the so-called "backstop" solution after Brexit.

But euroskeptics believe it gives the EU too much control over the UK and risks constitutionally distancing Northern Ireland from Britain.

If a trade deal cannot be agreed by the end of 2020, under the backstop the UK would remain aligned with the EU customs union, while Northern Ireland would additionally stay aligned to some European single market rules, in order to keep the Irish border free-flowing.

Neither London nor Brussels can end the arrangement unilaterally.

A united Ireland?

On Tuesday, Johnson told Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar that the "backstop" plan was unacceptable, putting him at odds with both Dublin and Brussels, which insist the deal is not open for renegotiation.

"If they really can't do it then clearly we have to get ready for a no-deal exit," Johnson said on a trip to Wales, adding: "It's up to the EU: this is their call."

Varadkar has said previously that Johnson's plan to renegotiate the deal by October 31 was "totally not in the real world".

Leaving without a deal would throw the border status into confusion and threaten economic catastrophe for Ireland, cutting it off from its UK main trading partner.

Varadkar said on Friday that a no-deal Brexit would make the unification of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland more likely.

"People who you might describe as moderate nationalists or moderate Catholics who were more or less happy with the status quo will look more towards a united Ireland," he said.

Northern Ireland is not the only part of the United Kingdom whose status after Brexit is under the spotlight.

Johnson visited Scotland on Monday, where First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said last week that Scotland needed an "alternative option" to his Brexit strategy.

In Wales, First Minister Mark Drakeford told him that Brexit would be "catastrophic" and to "stop playing fast and loose with our country". – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Amid corruption allegations against some of its personnel made by no less than President Rodrigo Duterte, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) leadership faced a new challenge: alleged invalid assignments to key posts.

The group Transparency in Public Service (TIPS) on Thursday, August 1, filed graft and usurpation complaints before the Office of the Ombudsman against BOC Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero, his chief-of-staff Teodoro Jumamil, BOC intelligence chief Raniel Ramiro, and BOC risk management chief George Patrick Avila.

The Office of the Ombudsman has already initiated an in-depth fact-finding probe into alleged Customs corruption, with Ombudsman Samuel Martires raising the possibility of issuing preventive suspension orders against accountable officials.

Duterte had earlier threatened 64 BOC employees with administrative cases unless they resigned.

Invalid appointments?

According to the complaint filed by TIPS member Joana Marie Gonzales, Guerrero, through a memorandum, assigned Jumamil as deputy commissioner of the Revenue Collection Monitoring Group (RCMG).

Citing civil service rules, the complaint said that Jumamil cannot be assigned to a head of unit position because he is non-career personnel.

"Under Section 132 of Rule XIII of the 2017 Omnibus Rules on Appointments and Other Human Resource Actions, no consultant, contractual or non-career or detailed employee shall be designated to a position exercising control or supervision over regular and career employees," Gonzales said in her complaint.

In the case of Avila, the group said he "began performing the functions of chief of the Risk Management Office (RMO) without any appointment and through the consent and acquiescence of Guerrero and Ramiro."

The RMO is under Ramiro as intelligence chief.

Gonzales accused the officials of committing usurpation of official functions, and violating Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act which prohibits, among others, the giving of unwarranted benefits to any party through manifest partiality, evident bad faith, and gross inexcusable negligence.

"Clearly, the designation of respondents, outsiders in the eyes of the BOC, to career positions, was done through manifest partiality and evident bad faith," she said.

Guerrero replaced Isidro Lapeña whom Duterte transferred to the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), following the P11- billion shabu-smuggling scandal.

The 2018 audit of the BOC revealed the agency has not learned its lesson from past instances of large-scale shabu smuggling at the ports because the agency continued to illegally release cargo, "causing undue disadvantage to the government in the form of additional revenues to be collected.” – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said it will "slow down" preparations for the May 2020 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections following President Rodrigo Duterte's call for Congress to postpone the polls to 2022.

Comelec Spokesperson James Jimenez made the statement in a press conference on Thursday, August 1, as the poll body opened a new round of voter registration. (READ: #PHvote: How to register as voter in the Philippines)

"Obviously, we can't stop our preparations, but always in the back of our minds, we're proofing our procedures so that in case the postponement is decided on, we won't be too compromised," Jimenez said in a mix of English and Filipino.

"So everything slows down a little bit until we finally get that law passed and signed by the President," he added.

What call to postpone? In his 4th State of the Nation Address (SONA), Duterte called on lawmakers to pass a bill postponing the May 2020 barangay and SK polls to 2022. This would be to give more time for elected officials to complete their projects after the elections held in 2018.

"I also implore Congress...you have to study this very carefully.... Because if you read it, this [is] to rectify the truncated terms," the President said in his SONA.

Prior to this, barangay and SK elections were already postponed twice under the Duterte administration. (READ: TIMELINE: Efforts to postpone barangay, SK elections)

The polls were first postponed from October 2016 to October 2017, then pushed back once more to May 2018 after Duterte signed Republic Act No. 10952.

What's the effect on the Comelec? Jimenez explained that possible adjustments would be made in bidding out contracts and evaluating polling precincts.

For instance, Jimenez said, the poll body could employ "bidding short of awards" where it would complete the bidding process but hold off on awarding the contracts to suppliers.

As for other aspects like evaluating the usability of precincts, Jimenez said the Comelec would "literally slow everything down" by extending the period given for reviews.

Despite this, Jimenez assured the public that the poll body will be ready for the elections, whether they would push through in May 2020 or be rescheduled to a later date.

"We will be ready. In fact, what's most important now is that now that we know, we are able to plan forward," he said. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – A pair of alleged scammers who posed as a congressman to solicit tens of thousands of pesos from lawmakers and a vice governor were arrested by the Philippine National Police (PNP) and presented to media on Thursday, August 1.

Dennis Jose Borbon, 24, and Edgar Paulo James Buluran, 30, allegedly posed as Camarines Sur 4th District Representative Arnulfo "Arnie" Fuentebella, gathered mobile numbers of lawmakers through the dark web, then asked for money for their nonexistent constituents.

"Arrest and entrapment stemmed from an initial phone call to Cavite Vice Governor Jolo Revilla from a person who identified himself as Camarines Sur congressman Arnie Fuentebella," PNP chief General Oscar Albayalde said in a press briefing at police headquarters Camp Crame.

The police will file cases of identity theft and estafa against the two.

How the arrest happened: Albayalde said one of the suspects called Revilla, introduced himself as Fuentebella, and asked for P15,000. That's when Revilla approached cops, who then organized an entrapment operation.

Revilla deposited P15,000 to a Metrobank account of the two. The PNP's Anti-Cybercrime Group was able to track down and arrest the suspects after they made a withdrawal on Wednesday.

Recovered from the suspects were mobile phones, access devices, and unregistered sim cards which police believe they were going to use for more scams.

Senator Bong Go's appearance: Along with Representative Fuentebella, Senator Bong Go stood behind Albayalde during the announcement. He was then given the floor to recount his own experience with the alleged scammers.

According to Go, the suspects used a number through messaging application Viber and used a photo of Fuentebella as their profile picture.

Go quoted the message from the scammers supposedly sent on Sunday, July 28, saying: "Puwede humingi ng pera? Kasi kabataan dito kailangan ng solicitation (Can I ask for money? Because the youth here need solicitation)."

The new senator said he immediately recognized it as a scam, since scammers would also try to contact them in Malacañang, where he used to be President Rodrigo Duterte's special assistant. He added that the same duo supposedly also tried to scam neophyte senators Imee Marcos and Francis Tolentino.

Go then recounted that he deposited only P1 to the account of the two before confronting them that he knew what they were doing. The two allegedly just hung up on Go before they proceeded with calling Revilla. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Panfilo Lacson alleged on Thursday, August 1, that retired generals were the ones who pocketed the multi-billion small town lottery (STL) revenues.

During the weekly kapihan with Senate reporters, Lacson said that there were "dummy franchise owners" of Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) outlets that were actually owned by retired police and military officers.

Small town lottery is among the games available at PCSO outlets. Lacson said that illegal jueteng (numbers game) masqueraded as legitimate STL operations.

"Other information would reveal na mga retired police and military officers ang nakakakuha ng franchise, nakapangalan lang sa mga dummies pero sila 'yung behind.... Sa halip na magremit ng tama, hindi na nagreremit," Lacson told reporters.

(Other information would reveal that retired police and military officers have been getting franchises which are named under dummies but they are actually the ones behind it. Instead of remitting correct revenues, they don't remit.)

The senator said that gross sales of STL should reach about P73 billion a year or P200 million a day based on a 2017 Senate hearing, and yet mere crumbs were remitted to the agency.

In 2018, PCSO earned P26 billion from STL gross sales, a stark increase from just about P5 billion in previous years.

Lacson said that ex-PCSO general manager Alexander Balutan was able to "pull up" the revenues, but still, billions leaked from collections. Under the recorded gross sales, Lacson claimed that some were still "collectibles," which meant these were not remitted to the agency.

Ironically, Lacson added that jueteng operators who have dummies were the ones who have been remitting money to the PCSO, based on information he gathered. But he later clarified that this still has to be validated.

"Ang katunayan, itong mga nakaraang panahon, ang nakakapagremit na lang 'yung mga jueteng operators na nakakuha ng franchise. Of course, hindi naman lalabas ’yung pangalan nila doon," said Lacson.

(In reality, recently, those who were able to remit were jueteng operators who were able to get franchises. Of course their names won't show.)

Inside job?

Lacson, who aggressively pursued his campaign against jueteng as police chief during the Estrada administration, said that the retired men in uniform, especially the cops, knew how jueteng operations worked. 

"Ito yung pagka-dating police officer na nagretire, alam niya kalakaran ng jueteng. Dapat ginamit nila yung kaalamanan nila sa mabuting paraan para matulungan ang gobyerno o PCSO. Pero hindi," said Lacson.

(The former police officers who retired knew how jueteng works. They should've used their knowledge to help the government or the PCSO, but they do not.)

They connived with those in the PCSO, Lacson claimed, as more retired generals became part of the agency when Balutan, who was a former marine officer, assumed as general manager head of the agency in January 2018.

"May mga identified naman sinu-sino ang mga retired generals, karamihan niyan kasabwat ng mga nakaupo ngayon. Sa loob (PCSO), di ba medyo dumami 'to nung panahon ni GM Balutan? Dumami 'yung mga retired generals doon," Lacson said.

(There are identified retired generals who own the franchises and many of them work in connivance with those who hold power. Inside PCSO, there are more retired generals during the time of GM Balutan? There are more retired generals there.)

A 1983 graduate of the Philippine Military Academy, Balutan was among the retired generals Duterte tapped for civilian government posts.

Gambling tycoon Charlie "Atong" Ang had accused Balutan and former PCSO chairman Jose Jorge Corpuz of underdeclaring revenue generated by STL operations, thus supposedly putting the government at a disadvantage.

Close down STL 'for good'

As Lacson asserted that STL was being used as a front for jueteng, he said that it would be better for it to be declared illegal.

"At least 'pag wala nang STL, 'pag nakakakita ka ng kubrador, pwede nang hulihin dahil iligal. Wala na 'yung masquerade as legal operations na STL. Sa akin mas mainam naman siguro kasi nadadaya ka massively. Harap-harapan niloloko ka," Lacson said.

(At least, if there are no longer STL games, when you see a collector, you already arrest them because it's illegal. They will no longer masquerade as legal operations fronting for STL. For me, it's better because you are being cheatead massively. You are being fooled in front of your face.)

Balutan was sacked in March over allegations of corruption. 

Four months later, the President issued a blanket verbal order on July 27, stopping operations of all PCSO gaming formats, STL included. He reason for the closure was to to curb "massive corruption." (READ: Legal issues with Duterte's PCSO gaming shutdown)

The President later lifted the suspension order on lotto as there are "no anomalies" in its operations. Other, though, games remained suspended. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte will consider the suggestion of Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr to stop granting foreigners visas upon arrival, Malacañang said on Thursday, August 1.

"The President will consider the proposal of the Secretary and if we don't hear anything from him, that means that will be the policy of the government," said Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo on Thursday, August 1 during a news conference.

Locsin made the suggestion through a tweet on Wednesday, July 31, after National Security Advisor Hermogenes Esperson  Jr voiced concern over the influx of Chinese working in the Philippines.

"We need to put an end to visas upon arrival; all visas should be issued by consular offices after vetting. We must take extra care in outsourcing any part of the visa application process, picking only the most reputable worldwide," Locsin said.

Esperon earlier said he saw the large number of Chinese coming to work in the country, many of them illegally, as a threat. He added that there was a need to be "cautious" when foreigners come in, regardless of nationality, "and their intent is not clear."

Panelo on Thursday also echoed the concerns of Esperon when asked if the Palace also saw Chinese workers as a security threat.

"Ang importante diyan, paano nakakapasok 'yan nang hindi natin nalalaman.'Yan ang mas delikado diyan (What's important is, how do they enter without us knowing? That's more dangerous)," said Panelo.

But the spokesman said Chinese nationals who are in the country illegally can just be "expelled" by the government for violating immigration laws.

The Duterte administration has tried to cultivate warm ties with China in order to reap economic rewards, even if surveys consistently show that many Filipinos trust China the least among nations.

Thousands of Chinese workers are employed by Philippine Online Gambling Operations (POGOs) which are supposed to be regulated by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor). (READ: How China’s online gambling addiction is reshaping Manila)

Insiders estimated that there are "easily" around 100,000 to 250,000 Chinese employed in POGOs. Senator Joel Villanueva had accused Pagcor of not properly implementing regulations, leading to a "loss in government income and opportunities for Filipinos." 

There have been cases when Chinese workers who come to work in the Philippines are poor and exploited by their employers. They are also exposed to racism amid tensions between China and the Philippines.– Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines has “possession and position” in the West Philippine Sea, the Department of National Defense (DND) said on Thursday, August 1, in a statement on President Rodrigo Duterte’s much-criticized remark in his 4th State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 22.

DND spokesperson Director Arsenio Andolong said "the Philippines has two documents to support its claims versus none for the Chinese,” citing the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 UNCLOS arbitral award as bases of the Philippines’ sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea.

"Thus, the Chinese presence in the West Philippine Sea is akin to somebody squatting on a piece of land owned by someone else,” Andolong said.

In his SONA, Duterte said the Chinese could not be driven away from the West Philippine Sea because they were “in possession” of it.

The remark drew strong criticism from Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, who pointed out that China’s reclaimed outposts in the West Philippine Sea only comprised 7% of its total area, which falls within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr afterwards claimed that the word Duterte used was "position” and not “possession,” meaning China had a “positional advantage” in the West Philippine Sea.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana then backed Hermogenes’ claim.

However, the official transcript of the SONA from the Office of the President does use the word “possession” – twice.

“China also claims the property and he is in possession. ‘Yan ang problema. Sila ‘yung (That's the problem. They are the ones) in possession and claiming all the resources there as an owner,” the official transcript of Duterte's speech states.

Possession, position

This latest statement from the DND said China "is in position, and to a certain degree, has possession of only a very small part of the South China Sea” because of its militarized artificial islands in the area.

“South China Sea” is the international name of the sea that connects the Philippines, Taiwan, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.

“West Philippine Sea” is the term used by Filipinos to refer to their EEZ within the South China Sea, which includes the 7 reefs that China reclaimed.

The Philippines has control over 9 islets in the same area, including Pag-asa Island, which hosts a civilian community of about 250 Filipinos.

"In the same vein, the Philippines also has possession and position in the West Philippine Sea,” Andolong said.

"We have to clarify, however, that possession, position, and control are different realities that do not necessarily exist together. Although several claimant countries are occupying features in the South China Sea, not one of them has complete and sole control over that entire body of water,” he added.

Andolong defended the Duterte administration amid criticism that the country lost ground to China after it shelved the UNCLOS arbitral award to broaden ties with Beijing.

"It must also be pointed out that the Philippines never gave up any of its positions in the WPS during the Duterte Administration and, in fact, it is improving the existing facilities of its biggest island, Pag-asa, to accommodate more residents and personnel,” Andolong said.

A source from Pag-asa told Rappler that Chinese vessels continue to ply the waters around the island, especially when Philippine ships deliver construction supplies.

The government is building a beaching ramp and paving the airstrip on Pag-asa Island.

On Wednesday, July 31, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin said he had “fired off” a diplomatic protest against China for its vessels' “swarming” of Pag-asa from July 24 to 25.

The possession/position affair from Duterte’s last SONA drew controversy and highlighted criticism that his administration is too favorable to Beijing.

Duterte was, in fact, asserting a supposed “fishing deal” he made with Chinese President Xi Jinping that allows the Chinese to fish in the West Philippine Sea, which he said was the reason he could not drive them away.

On June 9, a Chinese trawler ran into an anchored Philippine fishing boat at Recto Bank off Palawan and left its 22 Filipino crew marooned.

Duterte downplayed the incident as concerns were raised that Chinese trawlers may be maritime militias in disguise. 

The DND statement from Andolong states a tougher line.

"We are ready to defend our sovereignty and sovereign rights using whatever means available to us,” Andolong said.

"Likewise, every able-bodied Filipino should be ready to fulfill his or her duty when the time comes.” – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – As far as Malacañang is concerned, no one should be blamed for President Rodrigo Duterte's decision to veto the security of tenure or "anti-endo" bill, saying it's part of the process of policy-making.

"Yung finger-pointing, huwag na natin gawin 'yun. Palagi tayong maging bukas. Kung sa tingin natin nagkulang tayo, eh di punuan natin (Let's stop finger-pointing. Let's always be open. If we think we had shortcomings, let's make up for them)," Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a news briefing on Thursday, August 1.

Duterte is the least to blame over the debacle, Panelo said, even after senators themselves pointed out the President's contradictory actions on the bill – certifying it as urgent in September 2018, only to veto the bill in July this year.

"Kahit cinertify mo pa as urgent, kung dumating 'yung bill na hindi yung gusto mong maipasa, siyempre ive-veto mo," said Panelo, even if the bill Duterte had certified was the same bill submitted for his signature.

(Even if you certified it as urgent, if the bill gets to you in the form you would not like passed, of course you will veto it.)

For Malacañang, the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO) should also not be blamed for the mishap.

"Not necessarily because no matter your coordination, even if you tell them what you want and the senators want something else, what can you do?" said the Duterte spokesman.

He even said it was a good thing the bill was vetoed by Duterte.

"Mas mabuti nga na vineto para nagkaalaman kung ano talaga ang isang pananaw ni Presidente (It's good it was vetoed so that we would know what the President's views are), making a balancing act, weighing the interest of the management and the working class," said Panelo.

Yet there are processes in lawmaking meant to reduce the likelihood of a presidential veto, an act that could put to waste hours of public hearings and congressional hearings.

Chances of a veto are also supposed to be less likely when the bill in question is part of the President's legislative priorities. Duterte's certification as urgent of the anti-endo bill made lawmakers think it was a priority.

Still, Panelo stuck to his kumbaya tone, saying he believed no time and resources were wasted.

"Nothing is wasted in any discussion in the House of Representatives or the Senate because you tackle what can be and cannot be," he said.

Senator Franklin Drilon had urged the Duterte government to "get its act together" and clarify its policy on labor-only contractualization.

Senator Joel Villanueva has refiled the same exact bill.

In his veto message, Duterte said the bill did not adequately protect the rights of employers and management. In the days leading to his decision, influential business groups asked him to veto the measure even as ending labor-only contracting was his main promise to Filipino workers. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) set a second dry run of the controversial provincial bus ban starting next Wednesday, August 7.

In a press release on Thursday, August 1, MMDA General Manager Jojo Garcia said "all provincial bus operators" pledged to join the dry run.

During the dry run, provincial buses will be banned from passing through EDSA from 4 am to 10 pm.

City buses, meanwhile, will enjoy exemption from the number coding scheme. (READ: EXPLAINER: What is the provincial bus ban?)

Garcia said there will be no closure of provincial bus terminals along EDSA and no penalties will be imposed on violators during the dry run.

For those coming from the north, end trips will be at the Valenzuela Gateway Complex Terminal.

For those from the south, end trips will be at the Sta Rosa Integrated Terminal in Laguna, while operators with terminals in Pasay City may use the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange.

The new Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board policy which amended the routes of provincial buses paved the way for the bus ban.

The first dry run to test the ban was held back in April, then lifted in May.

This is not the first time that the MMDA has wanted to ban provincial buses along main thoroughfares. In 2018, Metro Manila mayors approved the ban on provincial buses along EDSA during rush hour, in a bid to ease traffic amid simultaneous road projects that year. This policy has since been suspended.

In 2015, the MMDA also banned provincial buses from using EDSA underpasses for the same purpose. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Bong Go has added a new chapter to the administration's accusation of a conspiracy plotted by the opposition against them.

On Thursday, August 1, Bong Go attended a Camp Crame press briefing by the Philippine National Police (PNP) to announce the capture of two alleged scammers who targeted senators, congressmen, and at least one vice governor.

After Albayalde narrated how the arrest happened and that the PNP would file estafa and identity theft charges, he gave the floor to Go to tell his story.

Like what they did in scamming Vice Governor Jolo Revilla, the alleged scammers sent a message to Go by pretending to be Camarines Sur 4th District Representative Arnie Fuentebella.

But Go said he was not fooled because he was used to dealing with scammers back when he was the special aide of President Rodrigo Duterte in Malacañang.

But Go admitted that he did not come to the PNP press briefing just to tell the story of the scam. He said he spoke to the alleged scammers himself.

Why Go went to the briefing: "Kaya po ako narito ngayon, mas naging interesado po ako dahil medyo malalim pala itong taong ito. Alam niyo, inutusan pala siya nong nakaraang eleksyon para siraan kami (I became more interested because, it turns out, the connections of these guys run deep. You know what, they were apparently ordered in the past elections to smear our reputations)," Go claimed, referring to the administration's allies.

He added: "Ngayon tinatanong ko si Bam Aquino, anong ginagawa ng chief of staff mo, nagdedeposito ng pera sa account niya para siraan kami (Now, I am asking Bam Aquino, what is your chief of staff doing, depositing money into his account to smear us)?"

A reporter then asked an off-tangent question: How did the scammers get the targeted politicians' personal phone numbers? 

Go replied that everyone has their numbers, even the media. The senator then narrated what his main purpose for attending the briefing. He asked the cops if the leader of the two scammers was Dennis Borbon. The generals said yes. (READ: PNP honors Senate bet Bong Go on eve of campaign period)

"Sabihin mo ang totoo kung paano tayo nagkausap, ano ang nalalaman mo (Tell the truth about how we talked and what you know)," Go ordered.

The new alleged conspiracy: Borbon then volunteered information against himself and the opposition, saying he was an "anti-administration" and "anti-Duterte" blogger. He claimed managing a Facebook page with weekly engagement of up to 300,000. He did not say the name of his supposed Facebook page. 

"Lumapit sa akin yung chief of staff ni Senator Bam Aquino na si former Daraga councilor Ares Goyena, at pinapatira sa akin lahat ng senatorial candidate ng administrasyon (The chief-of-staff of Senator Bam Aquino, former Daraga councilor Ares Goyena went to me and asked me to attack the senatorial candidates of the administration)," he said.

He said he was paid between P20,000 to P40,000 a month during the campaign period, adding that he also received money from former congressman and defeated opposition senatorial candidate Gary Alejano, and that he has met Peter Joemel Advincula—the controversial flip-flopping man known as Bikoy.

Go added that former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV was also involved in Borbon's "demolition job."

PNP going out of its way? In presenting the suspects on Thursday, the PNP violated its own rule of avoiding "trial by publicity."

But according to PNP spokesman Brigadier General Bernard Banac, the presentation was called due to "public demand" and for the benefit of the officials who were victimized.

"It's also to give government officials the opportunity to see and to verify," Banac said.

Banac said they still have no ongoing investigation on Go's latest anti-government conspiracy because he has not filed a formal complaint.

"It's not yet substantiated, so we will see if he will formalize it. We are on standby because he just expressed...We are awaiting if he will file a complaint," Banac added. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte can opt to “declare martial law” in Negros Island to stop the spate of killings there, Malacañang said on Thursday, August 1.

Panelo made the statement in a Palace news briefing, where he said the President would likely invoke emergency powers "soon."

The President had mentioned his plan on dealing with Negros violence in his speech at the National Security Council and National Intelligence Coordinating Agency anniversary on Wednesday night, July 31.

Asked which emergency powers Duterte would use, Panelo said: "He can call the Armed Forces to declare lawless violence. He can declare martial law."

A martial law declaration, said Panelo, would be "separate" from his current declaration covering Mindanao and lasting until December this year. (READ: Martial Law 101: Things you should know)

The President would "certainly" declare martial law if its declaration was recommended by security officials, said the spokesman.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said he so far has made no such recommendation.

"As of now, absent any recommendation from the AFP and PNP forces, intel reports and local government unit recommendation, I am not yet recommending martial law in Negros," he told Rappler. 

It was not the first time for Malacañang to raise the possibility of a martial law declaration in the Visayas.

A day after he declared martial law in Mindanao following the terrorist siege on Marawi on May 23, 2017, Duterte had said that he might expand martial law to the Visayas and Luzon if the threat of the terrorist Islamic State (ISIS) persists. He later modified this to a suspension of the writ of habeas corpus in Visayas if terrorism reached the region.

Duterte's plan for Negros was in response to the spate of killings in Negros Oriental, where a total of 21 people were killed from July 18 to 27. These include a lawyer, a barangay captain, a city councilor, a former mayor, and a one-year-old child. (READ: 15 shot dead in Negros Oriental in 1 week)

Back in November 2018, Duterte had issued Memorandum Order No. 32 deploying more cops and soldiers to Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental, aside from Samar province and Bicol.

The order cited "sporadic acts of violence" committed by "lawless groups" and directed military and police to "prevent such violence from spreading and escalating elsewhere in the country."

The Philippines has been under a state of national emergency on account of lawless violence since September 5, 2016, after a bomb exploded in Davao City, killing 14. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Roy Cimatu announced on Thursday, August 1, that El Nido will remain open while rehabilitation continues in the area.

The secretaries of the DENR, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the Department of Tourism (DOT) confirmed this decision in a press conference in Camp Aguinaldo.

The government, however, will continue to monitor El Nido's establishments.

Cimatu said they will form an interagency task force to investigate and inspect establishments and "households close to the vicinity." The task force has until August 25 to submit results of the investigation and inspection.

"Iha-highlight [ng investigation] 'yung mga noncompliant or nagva-violate ng environmental laws," he said. (The investigation will highlight the noncompliant establishments and those that violate environmental laws.)

Cimatu warned that based on the recommendation of the task force, establishments that violate environmental laws may face closure.

A July 16 document revealed that the government has been mulling over a "selective closure" of El Nido. The closure would have covered the barangays of Masagana, Maligaya, Corong-Corong, and Buena Sarte. (READ: Gov't eyes selective closure of El Nido in Palawan)

Although El Nido remains open to tourists, swimming will continue to be restricted in areas found to have high fecal coliform levels.

"We will not close El Nido, but we will continue the rehabilitation by imposing a 'No Swimming' policy in certain parts of Bacuit Bay including the El Nido Estero Outfall, Cabugao Outfall, Masagana Outfall, and Corong-Corong Outfall," Cimatu said.

DOT Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat said tourists can still swim in the islands surrounding El Nido where fecal coliform levels remain at normal levels.

Aside from high fecal coliform levels, the problems El Nido faces include easement concerns, business permit issues, and zoning violations.

"Maraming resorts na walang DOT accreditation. That’s illegal, isasara sila. Maraming nagtatayo sa timberland, automatic sarado na 'yun," Puyat said.

(Many resorts do not have DOT accreditation. That's illegal, and they will be closed. Many of them build on timberland, those will automatically be closed down.)

Puyat blamed the previous mayor of El Nido for its worsening conditions.

"It's hard for me to believe that the previous mayor did not see all these violations," she said. 

Meanwhile, DILG Secretary Eduardo Año said they will hold local officials accountable for the violations.

"Yes we will file charges against them. Titignan natin kung sino dapat managot dito (We will see who should be held accountable). Even the barangay captains and other agencies," he said. 

Even though swimming restrictions may affect tourist numbers, stakeholders in El Nido voiced their approval of the government's efforts to rehabilitate the area.

Cimatu, Puyat, and Año will also visit other ecotourism sites such as Panglao, Puerto Galera, Siargao, and Coron. The government said they will use the "Boracay plan" as guide in rehabilitating other ecotourism sites. – Rappler.com

Aaron Tolentino is a Rappler intern from the Ateneo de Manila University. 

MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte approved the granting of a franchise to operate renewable energy facilities to a company owned by the son of Antique Representative Loren Legarda.

Republic Act No. 11357 provides a franchise to Solar Para Sa Bayan Corporation, founded by Legarda's son, Leandro Leviste.

Duterte signed the law on Wednesday, July 31, while the Palace released the document on Thursday, August 1.

The law allows the company to "construct, install, establish, operate, and maintain" distributed energy resources and microgrids to "underserved areas" in specific provinces in the Philippines.

These specific provinces include Aklan, Aurora, Bohol, Cagayan, Camiguin, Capiz, Compostela Valley, Palawan, and Quezon, among others.

With the granting of the franchise, Solar Para Sa Bayan commits to operate distributed energy resources and microgrids in the most cost-efficient manner and to do all it can to provide efficient and reliable services.

"We thank President Duterte for giving new choices for electricity to Filipinos in unserved and underserved areas," said Solar Para Sa Bayan in a statement on Thursday.

"We also wish to extend an olive branch to those who once opposed this bill, for us to support the [Department of Energy's] goal of achieving 100% electrification and ending energy poverty in the Philippines by 2022. It is time for us to join forces and work together for the common good," the company added.

Some lawmakers had opposed the bill, like Senator Panfilo Lacson, who previously said that granting Solar Para Sa Bayan a franchise might violate the Electric Power Industry Reform Act.

Leviste is personally known to Duterte through Legarda. The President had even graced the opening of his company's factory in Batangas and praised Leviste for his entrepreneurial spirit.

Legarda is regarded by Duterte as an ally. He has thanked her in the past for her work as chairperson of the Senate committee on finance, a critical position where she coordinated with Malacañang on budget concerns.

Duterte had at one point considered her as a possible social welfare secretary.– Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The recycling continues and has reached the judiciary, as President Rodrigo Duterte takes out retired judge Franklin Demonteverde from the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) and assigns him to the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC).

Malacañang's recent appointments list released to media showed that Demonteverde will be the "ad-interim" Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) representative to the JBC.

The JBC is an all-powerful council that vets all applicants to the judiciary, from judges to the chief justice. Demonteverde will have to be confirmed by the Commission on Appointments.

Demonteverde will replace Milagros Fernan-Cayosa, whose stint as IBP representative to the JBC was marked by her pointed scrutiny of applicants' assets and wealth.

IBP national president Domingo "Egon" Cayosa said Demonteverde is one of the 4 applicants that the IBP endorsed to Malacañang.

Demonteverde and the rest of the MWSS board of trustees got in Duterte's crosshairs during the water shortage crisis. The President at one point slammed the agency for corruption.

Demonteverde is a retired judge from Bacolod. He has a business degree from the University of the East, and a law degree from the University of Negros Occidental – Recoletos. 

San Beda club?

The other members of the JBC are mostly graduates of San Beda like Duterte. Among them are his close friend, retired judge Toribio Ilao; his fraternity brother, retired justice Jose Mendoza; and retired justice Noel Tijam.

Tijam is the academe's representative to the JBC, although his academic experience is limited to a 7-year teaching stint at the Philippine School of Business Administration in the 70s, and his lectures at the  at the Philippine Judicial Academy or PHILJA, University of the Philippines Law Center, and the Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Program.

If Demonteverde is confirmed, he will serve 4 years in the JBC and will be eligible for a one-time renewal if approved by the President.

With this appointment, all 4 regular members of the JBC are now Duterte appointees. (READ: By 2022, Supreme Court filled with Duterte appointees)

The ex-officio members of the JBC who also get a vote are Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, Senate justice committee chairman Richard Gordon, and whoever will get the chairmanship of the House justice committee. –  Rappler.com