KARACHI, Pakistan – Ruth Pfau, a German nun who devoted her life to combatting leprosy in Pakistan, was buried with full state honors on Saturday, August 19, in an unprecedented service for a foreign Christian in the Muslim-majority country.

Pfau, who died at the age of 87 on August 10 was known locally as Pakistan's Mother Teresa. She came to the southern port city of Karachi in 1960 and spent half a century taking care of some of the country's sickest and poorest people.

She was the founder of Marie Adelaide Leprosy Centre in Karachi, where she was being cared for at the time of her death after a short illness.

Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain attended the state funeral service at St Patrick's Cathedral in the city, where hundreds of people gathered to pay their respects. 

The casket, draped in the national flag, was carried by army personnel and Marie Adelaide staff and given a 19-gun salute. 

"The entire Pakistani nation pays homage to Dr Pfau's extraordinary work. She will always be fondly remembered. We have lost a national hero," Pakistan's foreign office spokesman Nafees Zakaria Saturday said in a statement. 

Working with the government, Pfau expanded leprosy treatment centers in more than 150 cities and towns across Pakistan, training doctors, treating thousands of victims and helping establish a national program to bring the disease under control.

She was honored by the state with the country's two highest civilian awards, the Hilal-e-Imtiaz and the Hilal-e-Pakistan.

Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi earlier expressed his sadness at her death, saying "she may have been born in Germany, but her heart was always in Pakistan". 

It was after the horrors of World War II in her native Germany that Pfau decided to dedicate her life to serving humanity, becoming a doctor and joining the Daughters of the Heart of Mary order, founded during the French Revolution.

Not required to take the veil or live in seclusion, she ended up in Pakistan by chance. En route to work in India, visa complications forced her to break the journey in Karachi, where she visited a lepers' colony.

Pfau was also praised for her work in helping victims of devastating flooding in 2010, which left millions of people homeless across swathes of the country. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Philippine security officials are blaming "weather conditions" for failing to start the long-awaited repair of its dilapidated runway in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) 4 months since the plans were announced. (READ: PH plans for Pag-asa to test Duterte's friendship with China)

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the runway in Pag-asa (Thitu) cannot be expected to be fixed within the year. 

"Hindi natin magagawa ngayong taon na ito (We can't do it this year)," Lorenzana said during a budget hearing at the House of Representatives on Monday, August 14. (READ: PH allots P1.6B to fast-track construction on Pag-asa) 

Lorenzana visited the island in April 2017 and committed to fast-track the repair of the runway on the second biggest naturally occuring island in the Spratlys, where about a hundred Filipinos are residing. (READ: The residents of Pag-asa: Life on a disputed island)

Navy chief Vice Admiral Ronald Mercado said the construction company will do its best to start the construction soon. 

"Weather conditions gave some limitation on the tranpsort of construction equipment to Pag-asa. The sea condition is a bit rough right now. But they have intimated to us they will do their best to start the construction of the beaching ramp," Mercado told lawmakers asking updates on the projects. 

China protested Lorenzana's visit in April, pushing its claim over practically the entire South China Sea.

President Rodrigo Duterte previously planned to visit the island and plant a Philippine flag there himself. He backed out after protests from China, but he maintained that it is his duty to repair the runway there.

Duterte warmed Philippine ties with China after tense relations with his predecessor President Aquino, who led and won an international arbitration case against China claims over the West Philippine Sea. 

But China continues to develop reefs it reclaimed, raising alarm from observers despite continued assurances from the Philippine government that the situation is better. (READ: Photos show Cayetano, Wang wrong on China reclamation)

There are concerns, too, that China might be eyeing to occupy sandbars near Pag-asa island. Its ships are recently spotted too close to the Philippine-occupied island.  – Rappler.com

ISTANBUL, Turkey – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lashed out at the German government on Saturday, August 19, for criticizing his call to ethnic Turks to vote against Germany's two ruling parties in September elections, warning the foreign minister to "know your limits".

The latest spat between Ankara and Berlin risks propelling a months-long crisis in ties between two NATO allies with deep historic links to a new level ahead of Germany's general election on September 24.

Erdogan had a day earlier caused consternation in Berlin by urging ethnic Turks in Germany to vote against both parties in Chancellor Angela Merkel's governing coalition.

Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel had bitterly condemned Erdogan's comments as an "unprecedented act of interference" in Germany's sovereignty.

But speaking to supporters in the southwestern province of Denizli, Erdogan launched a stinging personal attack on Gabriel.

"He knows no limits! Who are you to talk to the president of Turkey? Know your limits. He is trying to teach us a lesson... How long have you been in politics? How old are you?" Erdogan said.

Erdogan repeated his controversial call for ethnic Turks eligible to vote in the German elections not to cast their ballots for Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU), their coalition partner the Social Democratic Party (SPD), or the Greens.

"Teach them a lesson in the German elections," he said. "They are waging a campaign against Turkey. Vote for those who don't have enmity towards Turkey."

He added: "It's not important for us whether Germany opens its doors to us or not. We have enough doors."

'We have our legal system'

Tensions have spiraled between Germany and Turkey in recent months.

Berlin has lambasted Ankara over the magnitude of the crackdown that followed last year's failed coup, which has seen several German citizens arrested, including journalists.

Turkish-German journalist Deniz Yucel, the Istanbul correspondent of the Die Welt daily, has been jailed in Turkey since February ahead of trial on terror charges.

German journalist Mesale Tolu has been held on similar charges since May, while activist Peter Steudtner was arrested in a July raid.

Ankara meanwhile has accused Berlin of failing to extradite suspected Kurdish militants and coup plotters who have taken refuge in Germany.

Addressing Merkel as "Madam", Erdogan said the Turkish authorities had sent Germany dossiers on 4,500 suspects wanted for extradition to Germany on terror charges and received no answer.

"And she wanted one or two people to be sent home by me," he said in apparent reference to the detained journalists and activist. "Forgive me but you have your legal system and so do we," he added.

In a potential further bone of contention, Dogan Akhanli, a German writer of Turkish origin who has written extensively on Turkey's human-rights record, was arrested in Spain on Saturday at Ankara's request, Greens MP Volker Beck said. It was not clear why.

'Disrespectful and arrogant'

Earlier, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag, who is also the official government spokesman, defended Erdogan's comments and said the reactions were "very disrespectful and very arrogant" and "beyond the bounds of decency."

Gabriel's SPD – whose candidate for the chancellorship is ex-EU parliament speaker Martin Schulz – and Merkel's CDU are rivals in the election. 

But they have been in broad agreement on the policy regarding Turkey within the country's grand coalition.

Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert said on Twitter: "We expect foreign governments to not interfere in our internal affairs."

The opposition Greens meanwhile have pushed for an even tougher line against Ankara, with its co-leader Cem Ozdemir, who is himself of Turkish origin, a vocal critic of Erdogan.

Ankara Mayor Melih Gokcek, a staunch Erdogan loyalist, lashed out against Ozdemir on Twitter, warning: "Sit tight! You Armenian servant..."

Ozdemir had previously pressed Ankara to recognize the World War I killings of Armenians as genocide.

Analysts estimate that about 1.2 million people of Turkish origin will have the right to vote in the September elections. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines –  Senate President pro-tempore Ralph Recto is backing the government's request for P422 million to develop a centralized government portal that will automate processing of various government permits. 

President Rodrigo Duterte highlighted the automation project in his his budget message to Congress – the cover letter of his proposed P3.767 trillion budget for 2018. Congress has began deliberations on the budget.  

Duterte said the government wants to develop a National Government Portal, a centralized portal that will allow people to "make transactions – from filling out forms to payment – online” and "eliminate the need to physically go to offices or visit multiple agencies’ website to perform transactions."

The integration is expected to improve, among others, the Integrated Business Permits and Licensing System (IBPLS) of local government units to fast-track processing of permits like barangay clearances, building permits, and sanitary permit processing systems.

Recto said he also wants to make sure it will include drivers' licenses, taxes, passports, and pensions, among others. 

People will only need to go to the portal, log in with their Single Sign On (SSO) credentials, search for the services they want to avail, and complete the transactions.

“This what we need – a combined Google, and Waze for a public wanting to get data or service from the government in a manner that is fast, and in many cases, free,” the senator said. 

Recto said he will support additional funding if necessary, highlighting how the project will fight red tape in government. 

“We should spare no funds in giving our people the best anti-red tape app,” he said. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The United States donated a tethered aerostat radar system (TARS) to the Philippine Nay to boost its capability to monitor maritime and air traffic amid continuing concerns in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).

Philippine Navy spokesman Commander Lued Lincuna said a formal turn-over ceremony is scheduled on Tuesday, August 22, a month after the radar system arrived in the Philippines, based on photos that circulated online in July.

Navy chief Vice Admiral Ronald Mercado and the US embassy's Deputy Chief of Mission Michael Klescheski are expected to attend the ceremony at the Naval Education and Training Command (NETC) in San Antonio, Zambales.

TARS is a balloon-borne radar that uses Lighter-Than-Air (LTA) technology. It is widely used by the US to monitor its borders, mostly to prevent trafficking of drugs and people. 

"It is expected to enhance the Philippine Navy's capability in maritime intelligence surveillance reconnaissance by effectively detecting maritime and air traffic within the country’s coastal waters using sensors," said Lincuna.

The TARS also includes a weather station that transmit data on ambient temperature, pressure, wind speed and other pertinent parameters in the operation of the system.

Lincuna said it can also be utilized in the conduct of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HADR) operations.

The donation follows the arrival of two surveillance aircraft also from the US — the Cessna C-208B Grand Caravan. 

– Rappler.com

BARCELONA / MADRID, Spain – Spanish police on Saturday, August 19, hunted for a Moroccan man suspected of carrying out one of two terror attacks that killed 14 people, injured 120 more and plunged the country into shock and grief.

Two days after the assaults that struck Barcelona and the nearby seaside town of Cambrils, Spaniards put on a defiant front while mourning the victims, with crowds out in force to greet King Felipe and Queen Letizia as they arrived to pay homage to the victims.

Slogans like "Las Ramblas is crying but alive" were seen on shop windows, while a convoy of taxis with "We're not afraid" plastered on their windows sounded their horns.

"People are coming here like they are seeking comfort from others," said Sergio Lopez, 36, whose family runs a kiosk on the main tourist thoroughfare.

Nearly 100,000 people were expected at Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium Sunday, August 20, for their team's first game of the season, to be marked by a minute of silence for the victims.

As investigators scrambled to piece together the attacks, Interior Minister Juan Ignacio Zoido said the cell behind the carnage had been "dismantled," though local authorities took a more cautious tone.

Police said they had cast a dragnet for 22-year-old Younes Abouyaaqoub, who media reports say was the driver of a van that smashed into people on Barcelona's busy Las Ramblas boulevard on Thursday, August 17.

An extensive operation including roadblocks was deployed across Catalonia on Saturday afternoon, police said, urging people not to disclose information about the checkpoints.

'I hope he's innocent'

Hours after the Barcelona carnage, a similar attack struck in the seaside town of Cambrils early Friday, August 18. Police shot and killed the five attackers in Cambrils, some of whom were wearing fake explosive belts.

The Islamic State (ISIS) group claimed responsibility for the attack, believed to be its first in Spain.

The terror cell in Spain reportedly comprised at least 12 young men, some of them teenagers. 

Investigators have been homing in on the small town of Ripoll, at the foot of the Pyrenees, where many of the suspects – including Abouyaaqoub – lived.

On Saturday, August 19, police raided the apartment of an imam, Abdelbaki Es Satty, according to his flatmate who gave his name only as Nourddem.

But Spanish daily El Pais, quoting police sources, said the imam might have been one of those killed in an explosion in a home in Alcanar, about 200 kilometers (120 miles) south of Barcelona, where the alleged jihadists were believed to have been building bombs.

A waiter at a Ripoll cafe told Agence France-Presse he had served beers to some of the suspects numerous times, most recently just two days ago.

Most of the suspects are children of Moroccan immigrants, including Ripoll-born Moussa Oukabir, 17, one of five suspects shot dead in the Cambrils attack. His older brother, Driss, counts among the four arrested.

Back in Morocco, Moussa and Driss's father Said broke down, surrounded by relatives.

"We're under shock, completely devastated," he told Agence France-Presse, saying Moussa had been studying "normally" at school while Driss worked "honestly".

"I hope they will say he's innocent... I don't want to lose my two sons."

Bigger plans

Police said they believed the suspects were planning a much larger attack. 

"They were preparing one or several attacks in Barcelona, and an explosion in Alcanar stopped this as they no longer had the material they needed to commit attacks of an even bigger scope," said Josep Lluis Trapero of Catalonia's police.

Security forces were seen removing dozens of gas canisters from the house in Alcanar on Friday.

And as the hunt for Abouyaaqoub gathered pace, a white van linked to the attacks was found in Spain, said French authorities, who had earlier been warned by their Spanish colleagues that the vehicle may have crossed into France.

Security ramped up

Victims of the attack came from three dozen countries including Algeria, Australia, China, France, Ireland, Peru and Venezuela, reflecting Barcelona's status as Spain's most popular tourist destination. 

Fifty-four people are still in hospital, including 12 in critical condition, Catalan emergency services said.

With the peak summer tourism season still in full swing, the Spanish government ordered security ramped up in crowded places, though it kept the terror threat level at four out of a maximum five, Zoido said.

Spain's tourism sector has been vital to its economic recovery, and because it has until now been spared the recent wave of extremist attacks, it has recorded a surge as visitors shunned more restive destinations such as Tunisia and Egypt.

But the country is no stranger to jihadist attacks.

In March 2004 it was hit by what remains Europe's deadliest attack, when bombs on commuter trains in Madrid killed 191 people in an assault claimed by Al Qaeda-inspired extremists. – Rappler.com

WASHINGTON DC, USA – US President Donald Trump returns to the Oval Office Monday, August 21, after a two-week vacation rife with chaos – and the dark clouds plaguing his fledgling presidency show no signs of clearing up.

Seven months after taking office the real estate magnate's approval rating has plunged to a record low. And far from striking a more unifying tone, Trump's words and actions continue to feed the sense of a rudderless presidency, lurching from one self-generated crisis to the next. 

In perhaps the worst to date, he dealt a crushing blow to his own embattled administration by saying "both sides" were to blame for the bloodshed in Charlottesville, Virginia following a rally by neo-Nazis and white supremacists. 

Al Gore, a former Democratic vice president, advised Trump to "resign." Mitt Romney, a recent Republican presidential nominee, urged the president to "acknowledge that he was wrong" and "apologize."

Parts of the business world are now openly voicing exasperation with Trump, as members of his own Republican party – long "off the record" – grow more audible and assertive.

"The president has not yet been able to demonstrate the stability nor some of the competence that he needs to demonstrate in order to be successful," Republican Senator Bob Corker uttered in one chiseled phrase, capturing the growing sentiment that Trump's unpredictability cannot sustain his four-year presidential term.

With his return to Washington, number one on the president's to-do list is tax reform.

Delivering on that campaign promise would mark Trump's first significant legislative achievement since his January swearing-in.

His verbal attacks on top members of Congress have cooled relations between the White House and Capitol Hill, but lawmakers with next year's midterm elections on the mind also fear an open clash.

Top Republican lawmakers Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell "recognize Trump for what he is, and there's no love lost," said Larry Sabato, a politics professor at the University of Virginia.

"But they have to protect their members on the ballot in November 2018," he told Agence France-Presse. 

"They have no choice but to work with Trump, and Trump knows that and enjoys playing with them as a cat would a cornered mouse."

A nation on edge

Friday's (August 18) ouster of Steve Bannon, Trump's controversial former chief strategist and key campaign ally, from the White House could be seen as a turning point for an administration in turmoil.

But the timing was disastrous, capping one of Trump's most catastrophic weeks yet after his series of ambiguous remarks on the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, which ended with the death of a counter-protestor at the hands of a suspected Nazi sympathizer. 

Bannon's departure does offer a semblance of clarity concerning the balance of power in the White House, where John Kelly, a retired Marine general, now reigns as the president's chief of staff.

But the president's true agenda remains unclear, and Bannon's status change from White House power player to outsider has policy experts asking what will remain in the administration of his extreme anti-establishment views.

The 45th US president will have an opportunity on Tuesday, August 22, to set the tone for his return from holiday at a Phoenix, Arizona rally, which could potentially play out in a tense climate.

The city's Democratic mayor, Greg Stanton, urged the president to delay the campaign-style rally considering that "our nation is still healing from the tragic events in Charlottesville."

Local officials fear Trump will take advantage of being surrounded by his supporters to grant a pardon to Joe Arpaio, a former sheriff and deeply divisive figure known for his strong-arm methods and zeal against unauthorized immigrants.

He was recently convicted for criminal contempt of court.

"If President Trump is coming to Phoenix to announce a pardon for former Sheriff Joe Arpaio, then it will be clear that his true intent is to enflame emotions and further divide our nation," Stanton said in a statement.

The increasingly isolated Trump will have to strike the right balance between arousing cheers from his base, a task at which the former reality TV star excels, and sending a message of unity after a week that rattled a nation already on edge – and perhaps permanently stained his presidency. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Risa Hontiveros has given protection to some alleged witnesses in the killing of Kian Loyd delos Santos, a 17-year-old student shot by the police after he allegedly fought back during anti-drug operations in Caloocan City. (READ: Our son Kian: A good, sweet boy)

“Nag-take custody nga po yung office ko doon sa ilang mga saksi in coordination po with Bong and Elsa, yung mga magulang ni Kian. At may isa pang institution na tumutulong. Ang primary concern po namin ay yung patuloy na seguridad at proteksyon sa pamilya at mga saksi na maaring tumulong para mabigyan ng hustisya si Kian,” Hontiveros said in an interview with radio dzBB on Sunday, August 20.

(Well, our office has taken custody of some witnesses in coordination with Bong and Else, Kian's parents. There is also one institution helping us. Our primary concern is to secure them and protect the family and witnesses who might help bring justice to Kian's death.)

The senator, however, refused to give details on the number of witnesses under her custody.

Hontiveros said there is a need to protect the “truth” behind the teenager’s death. Citing Bong, Kian's father, the senator said the family has been receiving threats following public outcry against police’s actions. The father also earlier vowed to fight for his son’s death no matter what.

“Meron na rin pong nagbabanta sa kanila. So importante po na itong napaka-precious na katotohanan, yung totoong kwento na nangyari kay Kian, na alam po nilang lahat, ay maipahatid sa ating mga awtoridad, sa tamang forum,” Hontiveros said.

(There are also threats to them now. So it is important that this precious truth, the real story on what happened to Kian, which they all know, would be brought to the authorities, to the right forum.)

Caloocan police claimed that Delos Santos was a drug suspect who, upon seeing them during anti-drug operations, fired his gun toward the direction of the cops.

CCTV video and testimonies by witnesses, however, indicated otherwise. CCTV footage showed policemen dragging Delos Santos, his head covered, to the place where he was eventually shot.

Witnesses also contradicted the police, saying it was the latter that handed Delos Santos a gun and ordered him to pull the trigger and run.

Senate probe

Hontiveros said the witnesses are ready to face the Senate should there be an investigation.

"Handa po silang sabihin ang katotohanan na alam nila. At pag-uusapan nila [kasama ang] binubuo naming legal team yung next moves nila. Iniiwan ko po sa kanila, kapag pormal na silang inimbita, na makapagdesisyon. Pero for one, ina-assure ko sila na isang mabuting forum po ang Senado," Hontiveros said.

(They are ready to say the truth. They will talk with their lawyers their next moves. I am leaving it up to them to decide once they receive the formal invitation from the Senate. But for one, I will assure them that the Senate is a good forum to reveal their stories.)

Senators have pushed for an “impartial” probe into the boy’s death. Administration senators are set to meet on Sunday to discuss their next steps of action. 

Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III, the Chief Executive's partymate, said they are preparing a resolution calling for a probe into the matter.

During previous Senate hearings on the spate of extrajudicial killings, Duterte's allies said such killings were neither sanctioned by the government nor the President, who has repeatedly vowed to protect the police no matter what. (READ: Senate ends probe: Neither Duterte nor state sponsored killings) – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Education (DepEd) on Sunday, August 21, said it condemns the killing of one of its students, Kian Loyd delos Santos, by Caloocan police during an anti-drug operation in the city.

"The Department of Education strongly condemns the shooting of Kian Loyd Delos Santos, a Grade 11 student of Our Lady of Lourdes Senior High School in Valenzuela, by elements of the Caloocan police," the DepEd said in a statement.

The department said it "denounces all forms of violence against our students, teachers, and personnel," and echoed the call for an impartial investigation into Delos Santos' death last Wednesday, August 16.

The 17-year-old allegedly fought back against police during an operation last Wednesday, August 16, but CCTV footage showed otherwise. Eyewitnesses also said the kid was handed a gun by police, and was ordered to pull the trigger and run. 

The kid's death has triggered outrage from citizens, politicians, the Church, and many other sectors, and has highlighted once again the bloody war on drugs campaign of the Duterte administration, which has been linked to at least 7,000 deaths, including minors. (READ: Our son, Kian: A good, sweet boy)

"While we acknowledge that law enforcement is an important aspect in the government's comprehensive efforts to battle illegal drugs, ensuring accuracy of information and upholding the rule of law should not be compromised," the department said.

As part of the anti-drug abuse campaign, the department recently announced that it will begin its random drug testing program of students and teachers in public and private high schools in September.

DepEd said this would allow her department to determine the prevalence of drug users among students and teachers and help assess the effectivity of school-based and community-based prevention programs.

However, DepEd said the results will be confidential and won't be an alternate "tokhang" – in reference to the Philippine National Police's Oplan Tokhang. – Rappler.com

SYDNEY, Australia – Australia's top court will this week examine a constitutional crisis threatening to topple the conservative government, after parliament's attempts to deal with it ended in sheep jokes and conspiracy theories.

At least 3 senior government figures, including Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, have been snared by a previously obscure constitutional provision that bars dual citizens from sitting in parliament.

With the government's one-seat majority on the line, Joyce has refused to stand down, arguing he previously had no idea he automatically inherited New Zealand citizenship from his Dunedin-born father.

The Australian-born deputy leader's case will go to the High Court on Thursday, August 24, along with four other politicians who have unwittingly found themselves on the wrong side of the law.

A sixth lawmaker, National Party senator Fiona Nash, is also set to join the court case after discovering late last week she was a dual Australian-British citizen.

Professor Don Rothwell, a constitutional expert from the Australian National University, said the stakes in the case were high.

"One possibility, albeit remote as it stands at the moment, is that the government of the day could fall... in which case we could see an election called," he told Agence France-Presse.

The dual citizenship provision was inserted in the 1901 constitution to ensure parliamentarians had no "adherence to a foreign power".

Rothwell said it was framed at a time when Australians still believed their primary loyalty was to the British crown, and appeared increasingly archaic in an immigrant nation such as Australia.

"It has this time-warped understanding of what foreign powers were from 1901," he said.

"A much more liberal approach is taken (in the community) towards dual citizenship these days."

Tinfoil hats, treason!

Much will rest on whether the High Court adopts the same approach or takes a narrower view of the constitution's section 44(i).

Regardless, the court will certainly give the issue more sober consideration than Australia's politicians, who turned Canberra into a sideshow after Joyce dropped the bombshell Monday, August 14, that he was a Kiwi citizen.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull seized upon the fact that a member of New Zealand's Labour Party asked questions about the citizenship issue the previous week to allege a grand plot to bring him down.

Opposition leader Bill Shorten of the Australian Labor party was attempting "to steal government by entering into a conspiracy with a foreign power", Turnbull thundered.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop accused Shorten of "treacherous behaviour" and said she would find it hard to trust New Zealand Labour if it won the country's elections next month.

"(It) is not only highly improper but is in direct breach of the international obligation for non-interference. Labor have now been well and truly caught out," Bishop said.

Labor's Penny Wong accused Bishop of running "a Kiwis under-the-bed scare campaign", invoking anti-communist "Reds under the beds" fears of the Cold War.

Her colleague Rob Mitchell turned up in parliament holding a tinfoil hat, which he said was for Bishop.

"Sounds like Julie's on the phone now," he told reporters as his mobile went off with the ringtone playing the theme to "The Twilight Zone" television show.

"She's been on to NASA and Area 51 at Roswell claiming that it's all our fault about Barnaby Joyce," he told reporters.

Meanwhile, Joyce's status as an accidental Kiwi led to inevitable sheep jokes, never far from the surface when Australians discuss their trans-Tasman cousins.

Joyce endured taunts of "Baa-naby" from the opposition benches, while Bishop was told "you've just jumped the sheep!" after outlining her Kiwi conspiracy.

Rothwell said the High Court was likely to expedite its judgement on the citizenship saga due to its potential impacts.

But he said a ruling in the case, due to start at a preliminary hearing on Thursday, was likely to be weeks away.

In the meantime, Australians can look forward to their representatives in Canberra continuing to snipe at each other as they scramble to check they have no citizenship skeletons in the closet.

As the Kiwis would say when expressing approval over something "choice, bro'".  – Rappler.com

BEIRUT, Lebanon – Lebanese soldiers renewed fire on Islamic State (ISIS) group positions on the country's eastern border with Syria on Sunday, August 20, after capturing a third of the territory held by jihadists in the area.

Lebanon's army began its operation in the Jurud Ras Baalbek and Jurud al-Qaa region early on Saturday, August 19, and in the first day captured around 30 square kilometers (11 miles square) of territory, a military spokesman said.

"That is around a third of the area controlled by the terrorists," Brigadier General Nazih Jreij said late Saturday.

Jreij said 20 ISIS fighters had been killed in the clashes, and 10 Lebanese soldiers wounded.

Lebanon's battle against ISIS comes as the jihadist group faces assaults in both neighboring Syria and Iraq, where the government early Sunday announced an offensive on the group's bastion of Tal Afar.

The attack also comes after ISIS claimed several international attacks, including twin car ramming incidents in Spain that killed 14 people.

Lebanese soldiers raised the Spanish flag on a hilltop captured from ISIS on Saturday in a tribute to the victims of those attacks, the army said.

Lebanon's military estimated around 600 ISIS fighters were present in the Jurud Ras Baalbek and Jurud al-Qaa areas, controlling around 120 square kilometres of territory before Saturday's advances.

On Sunday, Lebanon's National News Agency reported soldiers were firing heavy artillery and rockets at ISIS positions in Jurud Ras Baalbek.

The army's assault comes after Lebanon's powerful Shiite militant group Hezbollah waged its own campaign against jihadists operating in another border area south of the current battle.

The group's 6-day offensive against ISIS and Al-Qaeda's former affiliate in the Jurud Arsal area ended with a ceasefire.

The agreement saw around 8,000 refugees and jihadists transported to a jihadist-held area of northwestern Syria in return for the release of five captured Hezbollah fighters.

Hezbollah said Saturday it had launched a simultaneous operation against ISIS from the Syrian side of the border, where the group's fighters are battling alongside President Bashar al-Assad's army against rebels.

Lebanon's army denied any coordination with Hezbollah or the Syrian army.

Hezbollah's War Media outlet said its fighters and the Syrian army had on Saturday "managed to liberate 87 square kilometers of the total area controlled by the Daesh (IS) organization... in western Qalamun region" of Syria.

Security along Lebanon's eastern border with Syria has long been a concern, and in 2014 jihadists invaded the town of Arsal and kidnapped 30 Lebanese soldiers and police.

Four were executed by their captors while a fifth died of his wounds. 

Sixteen were released in a prisoner swap in December 2015, but another nine solders are believed to remain in ISIS hands.

It is not clear if they are alive or not. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday, August 20, condemned the killing of Kian delos Santos, the 17-year-old student shot by police after allegedly fighting back during anti-drug operations in Caloocan City.

If it could happen to Delos Santos, Robredo said it could also happen to anyone, pointing out that he was the same age as her youngest daughter, Jillian.

“Alam mo ito, parang napaka-personal sa akin, kasi ka-edad niya iyong bunso ko. Kaya kapag nangyayari ito sa ganiyan, maiisip mo na kung nangyari sa kaniya, puwedeng mangyari sa mga anak natin,” Robredo said in her weekly radio show on Sunday.

(You know, this is something personal to me because he was the same age as my youngest daughter. That's why when these things happen, you will think that if it happened to him, it could also happen to our children.)

“Nakakalungkot ito. Ngayon, may mukha ito, itong si Kian. Parang sumasagi sa isip natin, ilan na ba iyong Kian na dumaan? Ilan pa ba iyong Kian na mangyayari? Kaya tayo naman, kapag ganito, tingin ko obligasyon natin ipahayag iyong ating pagkamuhi sa ganitong klaseng pangyayari,” Robredo said.

(This is saddening. Now, Kian gives it a human face. How many Kians have we had? How many more Kians will follow? That's why when this happen, I think it is our obligation to express our condemnation.)

Robredo noted how Delos Santos’ family and neighbors have lauded the young man’s character. But Caloocan police maintained he was a drug suspect and that they only shot at him for self-defense.

The teenager’s mother, Lorenzana, is working as a domestic helper abroad while his father, Zaldy, operates a small sari-sari store.

“Nakakaawa kasi makikita mo, isa itong ordinaryong pamilya, katulad ng bawat pamilyang Pilipino na talagang naghihikahos na pagdaan iyong lahat na kahirapan mapag-aral lang iyong mga anak,” she said. (I commiserate with them because they are an ordinary family, just like other Filipino families that continue to struggle and fight poverty just to send their children to school.)

Robredo said she has offered assistance to the family. The Vice President visited the wake early Sunday, August 20. She was joined by human rights lawyer Jose Manuel Diokno, chairman of the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG).

Senator Risa Hontiveros has earlier granted protection to some witnesses in the boy's slay and said these people are willing to face the Senate should there be an investigation.

Independent probe

Robredo has called for an “independent” investigation into the incident, saying the CCTV footage and witnesses contradict police claims. Senators have also pushed for an "impartial" probe into the killings after Delos Santos' death.

“[I]yong atin lang ninanais, sana magkaroon naman ng independent na imbestigasyon, kasi lalong — Alam mo iyon? Kapag hindi kampante iyong magulang sa klase ng imbestigasyon, hindi nabibigyan ng parang closure iyong kaso, at baka patuloy na nangyayari iyong ganitong nangyari kay Kian,” she said.

(We only want an independent investigation. Because you know, when the parents are not at peace with the kind of investigation conducted, the case won't have its closure and the same thing that happened to Kian might go on.)

Caloocan police claimed that Delos Santos was a drug suspect who, upon seeing them during anti-drug operations, fired his gun toward the direction of the cops.

CCTV video and testimonies by witnesses, however, indicated otherwise. CCTV footage showed policemen dragging Delos Santos, his head covered, to the place where he was eventually shot.

Witnesses also contradicted the police, saying it was the latter that handed Delos Santos a gun and ordered him to pull the trigger and run.

Robredo also reiterated her call for the Duterte administration to rethink its approach against illegal drugs, saying innocent people should not be victimized.

“Sang-ayon naman tayo na malaki talaga iyong suliranin sa ilegal na droga, pero baka iyong pamamaraan, mayroong mas mabuti, na hindi iyong karapatang pantao na iyong nakasalalay, iyong mga inosente nabibiktima,” she said. (We agree that there is a big problem on illegal drugs but maybe there's a better way to do it, in which human rights are not compromised and innocent people are not killed.) – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on Sunday, August 20, said it has launched its own investigation into the death of Grade 11 student Kian Loyd delos Santos during a police operation.

Investigators from the CHR's National Capital Region (NCR) office have coordinated with the Delos Santos family, who have already given their permission for an autopsy.

"This case is so tragic and CHR has been doing its part," CHR EJK (extrajudicial) Task Force Head Commissioner Gwendolyn Pimentel-Gana said in a statement. "We want to make sure that the case is attended [to] promptly and thoroughly."

Authorities claim that the policemen shot the 17-year-old in "self-defense," but CCTV footage minutes before he was killed showed no signs he fought back. (READ: Our son, Kian: A good, sweet boy)

Delos Santos is among at least 81 killed in recent police operations in the cities of Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela, and Manila, as well as the province of Bulacan. (READ: Drug raids toll hits 81 in 4 days)

It was the bloodiest week in the anti-drug and anti-crime campaign of the Philippine National Police (PNP). 

According to Gana, they will also investigate these deadly raids.

The latest deaths bring the total number of alleged drug personalities killed in legitimate operations to more than 3,500, according to data from the PNP. 

Created under the 1987 Constitution, the CHR is tasked to investigate allegations of human rights abuses by state actors such as the military or police. (READ: Things to know: Human rights in the Philippines)

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, on Saturday, August 19, also ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to look into the drug raid that killed Delos Santos. 

Minors not spared

Delos Santos is not the first minor killed in President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs.  

According to data from the Children's Legal Rights and Development Center in January 2017, at least 31 people aged 18 years old and below were killed in either police operations or vigilante-style killings in his first year in office. (LIST: Minors, college students killed in Duterte's drug war)

"Malungkot po kami na naging kabilang sa rising death toll ang mga kabataan. Marami na ring mga bata, sa iba't ibang konteksto, ang napaslang, nasaktan, at nawalan ng magulang," CHR Chairperson Chito Gascon said. "Malungkot po kami lalo pa't napaslang ng isang pulis ang batang pangarap din maging isang pulis."

(We are saddened that the rising death toll includes the youth. A lot of children, in different contexts, have also been slain, hurt, or have lost their parents. We are sad because police shot a child who once dreamt of becoming a police officer.)

The CHR has been urging the government to consider alternative ways of addressing the problem of illegal drugs.

"The approach should be harm reduction. Tulungan natin sila na maging productive citizens kaysa ma-vilify at ma-target," Gascon said. "Tulungan natin sila na matugunan ang problema nila sa droga na may pagkilala sa kanilang dignidad."

(The approach should be harm reduction. Let us help drug abuse victims become productive citizens instead of vilifying and targeting them. Let us help them solve their drug abuse problems by recognizing that they are humans with dignity, too.) – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday, August 20, called on Filipinos to reflect on lessons from the life of slain democracy icon Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr, "especially in these troubling times."

"History is witness to how Ninoy's work as a journalist and politician drove him to effect positive and meaningful changes in our society," Duterte said in a statement for Aquino's 34th death anniversary.

"Up until the very end of his life, he inspired a peaceful revolution that resulted to liberties we enjoy," the President added. 

Aquino was assassinated on August 21, 1983 at the Manila International Airport (now the Ninoy Aquino International Airport) upon arriving from a 3-year self-exile in Boston, Massachusetts. (READ: LOOK BACK: The Aquino assassination) 

The former senator was considered as one of the staunchest opponents of then dictator Ferdinand Marcos. His death galvanized the growing opposition and propelled his wife, Corazon "Cory" Aquino, into the limelight. Cory eventually became the Philippines' first female president after Marcos was ousted in the 1986 People Power Revolution.

Duterte said the former senator's deeds "taught us that we should always aspire for the common good – even if one must go against the grain – and do what is necessary."

"Through his words of wisdom, let us reflect on his life and realize that, indeed, the Filipino is worth dying for," Duterte added.

These glowing words are in contrast to the President's recent remarks against his predecessor, Benigno Aquino III, son of Ninoy and Cory.

Earlier this month, Duterte called his predecessor "gago" (an idiot) for saying that the government's bloody drug war is ineffective. To prove the war on drugs is effective, Duterte said that if former president Aquino himself got caught up in drug trafficking, he would be beheaded.

Duterte has been under fire over the thousands of killings linked to his war on drugs, but the President has said that the drug war would be unrelenting. (READ: Duterte on deadly Bulacan drug raids: 'Maganda 'yun')

Duterte is also close to the Marcos family, and in 2017, ordered the burial of the late dictator at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. (READ: Duterte on Marcos burial: Let history judge, I followed law)

The President also previously warned that the martial law he declared in Mindanao – in effect until December 31– would be similar to martial law during the Marcos dictatorship.

Last August 1, Cory's 8th death anniversary, her son had urged Filipinos to protect democracy.

"Maski anong bagay 'pag pinabayaan ay guguho eh, mawawala. Parang obligasyon natin na nagmana sa lahat ng sakripisyo ng nauna sa 'tin na ipagtanggol 'yung mga karapatan na 'di binigay, ipinaglaban," former president Aquino said.

(Anything that is neglected will crumble or be lost. It's our obligation, those of us who inherited the sacrifices of the earlier generation, to fight for the rights that were not just given to us but were fought for.) – Rappler.com

SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea warned Sunday, August 30, that the United States will be "pouring gasoline on fire" by conducting an annual war game in the South next week amid heightened tensions between Pyongyang and Washington.

Combative rhetoric between the nations spiked after Pyongyang tested two intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) last month that appeared to bring much of the US within range, sparking an intense warning by President Donald Trump that Washington could rain "fire and fury" on the North.

Pyongyang then threatened to fire a salvo of missiles towards the US territory of Guam – a plan that leader Kim Jong-Un last week delayed, but warned could go ahead depending on Washington's next move.

Amid the fiery volley of threats, Seoul and Washington will begin Monday, August 21, the "Ulchi Freedom Guardian" (UFG) joint military exercises involving tens of thousands of troops that Pyongyang views as a highly provocative rehearsal for invasion.

"The joint exercise is the most explicit expression of hostility against us, and no one can guarantee that the exercise won't evolve into actual fighting," said an editorial carried by the North's official Rodong Sinmun newspaper.

"The Ulchi Freedom Guardian joint military exercises will be like pouring gasoline on fire and worsen the state of the peninsula," the paper said.

Warning of an "uncontrollable phase of a nuclear war" on the peninsula, it added: "If the United States is lost in a fantasy that war on the peninsula is at somebody else's doorstep far away from them across the Pacific, it is far more mistaken than ever."

Seoul and Washington have said the largely computer-simulated UFG exercise, which dates back to 1976, will go ahead as planned, but did not comment on whether the drills would be scaled back in an effort to ease tensions.

Around 17,500 US troops will participate in this year's drills -- a cutback from last year -- according to numbers provided by Seoul's defence ministry.

But South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported the allies were mulling scrapping an initial plan to bring in two aircraft carriers to the peninsula to take part in the drill.

South Korea's top military officer said Sunday that the current security situation on the peninsula was "more serious than at any other time" amid the North's growing nuclear and missile threats, and warned Pyongyang of merciless retaliation against any attack.

"If the enemy provokes, (our military) will retaliate resolutely and strongly to make it regret bitterly," said General Jeong Kyeong-Doo, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in his inauguration speech. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Was slain 17-year-old student Kian Loyd delos Santos a drug runner for his family?

That is what initial reports have already said, according to National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Director Oscar Albayalde.

"'Yun naman ang initial report talaga. 'Yun nga ang basis ng operation, 'yun na talaga ang sinasabi ng mga operatives ng district," Albayalde told Rappler in a phone interview on Sunday, August 20.

(That was really the initial report. That was the basis of the operation, what the operatives were saying.)

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa himself earlier said Delos Santos was allegedly a drug courier for his father and uncles.

But according to Albayalde, this allegation is not the priority of their investigation, which was launched after CCTV footage and eyewitness reports cast doubt on the legitimacy of the operation involving Delos Santos. (READ: DOJ orders probe into 17-year-old student's death)

"What we're trying to prove here is kung totoo na summarily executed (if he was really summarily executed). 'Yun ang case dito, hindi 'yung kung kanino siya runner (That is the case, not whoever he was supposedly a drug runner for). Even a criminal has his own right," Albayalde said.

The NCRPO chief added that if Delos Santos' father and uncles really used him for alleged drug activities, then that would have to go through the proper legal process.

"Kung involved ang tatay (If the father is involved), then he will have a day in court also. But it's a separate case," Albayalde said.

He also said police have previously handled cases where families use minors to get illegal drugs. If the minors get caught, they are sent to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

In Delos Santos' case, however, he was shot dead. (READ: Robredo on Kian's killing: It could happen to our children) – Rappler.com

DHAKA, Bangladesh – A Bangladesh court sentenced 10 Islamist militants to death Sunday, August 20, over a failed plot to assassinate Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina by detonating a huge bomb at one of her rallies.

The men were sentenced to death by firing squad for planting a huge explosive near where Hasina was scheduled to speak during her first term as prime minister in 2000, prosecutor Shamsul Haq Badol told Agence France-Presse.

"The bomb was planted in an attempt to kill Sheikh Hasina, high-ranking leaders of the (ruling) Awami League party and dignitaries," Badol said.

The 76 kilogram (167 pound) explosive was detected and defused, sparking a manhunt for those responsible for the assassination attempt on Hasina, who is in her 3rd term as leader of Bangladesh's secular government.

Police allege the operation was led by Mufti Abdul Hannan, the late leader of extremist group Harakat ul Jihad Al Islami, which perpetrated a string of attacks across Bangladesh in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Hannan, the main accused in the failed bomb plot, was hanged in April for orchestrating a grenade attack on Britain's envoy to Bangladesh in 2004.

The accused in this latest case wanted to kill Hasina because "they said she was not a Muslim, and an agent of India, and Islam can be established (in Bangladesh) only by killing her," Badol said. 

He said another large explosive was found three days later at a helipad where Hasina was scheduled to land.    

A separate prosecutor, Khandaker Abdul Mannan, said those sentenced to death were also implicated in other assaults, including a deadly bombing at a church and a secular festival.  

Defence lawyer Faruque Ahmed said the defendants would lodge an appeal through the jail authorities.

"There are a lot of questions about this case. The defendants said they did not get justice," he told Agence France-Presse. 

Hannan tried to kill Hasina in a separate grenade attack at a rally in the capital Dhaka in August 2004, in which 22 people were killed, Badol said. 

Hasina, who was opposition leader at that time, suffered injuries to her ear in the carnage. 

A madrassa teacher who studied in India and Pakistan, Hannan fought against the Soviets in Afghanistan before returning home to Bangladesh where he rose to prominence for a string of deadly attacks under his command. – Rappler.com

HONG KONG – Thousands of supporters of 3 jailed young democracy activists took to the streets in Hong Kong Sunday, August 20, to protest their sentences.

Joshua Wong, Nathan Law and Alex Chow, leaders of the 2014 Umbrella Movement rallies, were sentenced to 6 to 8 months in jail Thursday, August 17, for their role in a protest that sparked the months-long demonstrations calling for democratic reforms.

People took on the summer heat to stream from the eastern district of Wan Chai to the Court of Final appeal in the heart of Hong Kong Island, protesting the jail terms.

They held signs including: "Give back hope to my children" and "One prisoner of conscience is one too many" as they gathered in one of the biggest recent rallies the city has seen.

William Cheung, an engineer in his 40s, described the ruling as "the beginning of white terror" in Hong Kong.

"These young people are our hope for the future. We shouldn't treat them like this," Jackson Wai, a retired teacher in his 70s, told Agence France-Presse as he teared up.

Rights groups and activists called the case against the trio "political persecution" and more evidence that an assertive Beijing is tightening its grip on the semi-autonomous city.

The Beijing-backed Hong Kong government brought the case for harsher sentences against the 3, saying previous non-custodial terms were too light and did not serve as a deterrent to activists undermining stability.

University student Ann Lee said the government's efforts to overturn the previous sentences were "attempts to intimidate us from taking part in acts of resistance."

Hong Kong enjoys freedoms unseen on the mainland after being handed back to China in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" deal, but there are growing fears Beijing is trampling the agreement.

'Ashcan of history'

The 3 jailed protest leaders were found guilty last year on unlawful assembly charges for storming a fenced-off government forecourt known as "Civic Square" as part of a protest calling for fully free leadership elections in September 2014.

Wong and former legislator Law, who was disqualified from parliament last month following Beijing intervention, had expressed their intentions to run for office in future elections, but will be prevented from standing for 5 years because their jail terms exceeded three months.

Wally Yeung, one of the panel of 3 judges that handed down the jail terms, said in a written judgement there had been an "unhealthy trend" of people in Hong Kong breaking the law for the sake of their ideals and having what he described as "arrogant and self-righteous ideas".

Former colonial governor Chris Patten slammed the government's move to persecute the activists.

"The names of Joshua Wong, Alex Chow and Nathan Law will be remembered long after the names of those who have persecuted them have been forgotten and swept into the ashcan of history," wrote Patten in a letter to the editor at the Financial Times Saturday, August 19.

Wong, 20, is currently held in a high security prison for young male offenders. Law and Chow are at a maximum security holding centre. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Court of Appeals (CA) declared final its decision sentencing US Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton to a maximum of 10 years in prison for killing Filipino transgender woman Jennifer Laude in 2014.

In a 12-page resolution issued on August 15, the CA junked the appeal filed by Pemberton and upheld its earlier ruling of homicide.

The CA said Pemberton's arguments were a mere "rehash of the issues" already discussed in the decision last April 3, where the CA upheld the ruling of the Olongapo City Regional Trial Court against him.

"With respect to Pemberton's motion, we maintain our ruling that his invocation of self-defense is an admission of the killing and of its authorship," said the CA ruling, penned by Associate Justice Marlene Gonzales-Sison. Associate Justices Ramon Cruz and Henri Jean Paul Inting concurred with the decision.

"Pemberton's contention that he was only raising complete and incomplete self-defense in the physical injuries he inflicted upon [Jennifer] Laude is bereft of rhyme or reason as the former was not charged for any physical injuries but for homicide," the CA ruled.

Pemberton insisted that he did not kill Laude, claiming the latter was alive when he left her inside their motel room, and that the wounds he inflicted on Laude were done out of self-defense. An autopsy report earlier revealed Laude died due to asphyxia by drowning and strangulation.

"Pemberton unabashedly plunged Laude's head in the toilet for the puerile reason that Laude pretended to be a woman. To our mind, placing Laude's head inside a toilet shows that Pemberton never thought of Laude as a human being, but as fecal matter due to [her] sexual orientation," the court ruling said.

Pemberton asked the CA to consider his voluntary surrender as a mitigating circumstance and to lessen the penalty.

But the CA did not buy his arguments, saying there was no medical proof that Pemberton was attacked or "slapped" by Laude.

"The allegation of Pemberton that he was slapped by Laude could not even be corroborated by any medical findings. Worthy to note that according to Pemberton, the slap he allegedly received made his ear ring which if true should have promoted Pemberton to immediately seek medical attention," the CA said.

To further counter Pemberton's claims, the CA said if he were indeed only trying to defend himself, he should have sought medical assistance for Laude.

The CA added that Pemberton's immediate escape from the motel is a sign of guilt.

"The bits of evidence, pieced together, point to Pemberton as the killer of Laude. Ostensibly, our rules make no distinction between direct evidence of a fact and evidence of circumstances from which the existence of a fact may be inferred. Pemberton's criminal liability for homicide stands," the CA said.

Aside from the US Marine's appeal, the CA also denied the Office of the Solicitor General's plea not to grant Pemberton full credit for the time he spent under preventive imprisonment because he did not voluntarily agree to follow the same rules imposed upon convicted prisoners.

The appellate court also upheld the payment of "loss of earning capacity" to Laude's family, amounting to P4.32 million. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Presidential Peace Adviser Jesus Dureza on Sunday, August 20, said he recommended "clearance" for former Marawi City mayor Omar Solitario Ali so the latter could safely meet with Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana. 

"I recommended that a clearance from the Secretary of National Defense be issued to allow him to safely travel to meet the [defense chief] for the purpose, considering there were AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) checkpoints and his name was on the arrest list," Dureza said in a statement.  

The meeting between Ali and Lorenzana, according to Dureza, aims to discuss how he could help the government resolve the ongoing conflict in Marawi City. (READ: Terror in Mindanao: The Mautes of Marawi)

Ali is included in the arrest orders issued by the Department of National Defense (DND) last June 5. He is also one of the more than 150 government officials who are allegedly involved in the drug trade. (READ: The Duterte list: Judges, mayors, police officials linked to drugs)

President Rodrigo Duterte, on June 9, challenged Ali to disprove accusations he let terrorists into Marawi City.

Dureza, however, said Ali had been in touch with him about possible incidents involving the Maute brothers before the siege started, even volunteering to help.

"I also arranged a Davao meeting with the President where he offered help," Dureza explained. "After the meeting, I got him on a consultancy arrangement with Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP)." 

Ali even asked "if he could initiate talks with the Mautes" but Dureza declined his offer. 

The peace adviser eventually revoked Ali's consultancy contract with the OPAPP when he was included in the DND's arrest orders. Dureza, however, continued communicating with Ali.

"At one time, when the President was in Cagayan de Oro monitoring Marawi, I arranged his phone call with the President," Dureza recalled. "The President told him over the phone that he instead should talk to me. So I continued handling him."

While he sent the clearance signed by Lorenzana, Dureza said he told Ali to directly contact the AFP on how to proceed with the meeting.

"I also later called Solitario that he should directly arrange the planned meeting with SND (Secretary of National Defense) as OPAPP does not get involved in AFP operational matters," he said. – Rappler.com