MEXICO CITY, Mexico – Mexico opened on Tuesday, January 26, a national debate on prohibitionist marijuana laws, as the government appeared open to legalizing medical cannabis use.

President Enrique Peña Nieto, who personally opposes legalization, decided to hold 5 public forums after the Supreme Court opened the door to recreational use of marijuana in a country beset by drug cartel violence for a decade.

"This is an issue that has directly or indirectly affected the lives of millions of Mexicans," Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio Chong said at the start of the first debate, which was broadcast online.

"Such a delicate issue cannot be left to improvisation," he said in the Caribbean resort city of Cancun, where experts were invited to debate the drug's effects on public health and addiction.

Legalization supporters argue that decriminalizing marijuana would strip drug cartels of a major source of revenue and reduce violence that has killed tens of thousands of people.

Peña Nieto has rejected such arguments, but he indicated that his government would be open to changing the laws, depending on the outcome of the debate.

Osorio Chong strongly hinted that the administration was open to the medical use of marijuana, noting that there is a "majority (of public) opinion" in favor of such uses.

The government, he said, "is completely open to measures that improve the quality of life" of its citizens.

Roberto Campa, a deputy interior minister for human rights, said that international conventions do not prohibit the medical use of marijuana.

"There is much more space to find agreements in this sense," Campa told reporters.

A senator from Peña Nieto's Institutional Revolutionary Party has introduced legislation that would authorize medical marijuana.

Opinion polls show that most Mexicans oppose the legalization of marijuana but that they back its medical use.

An 8-year-old epileptic girl named Grace became the symbol of efforts to legalize medical marijuana in Mexico when her parents won a court case last year that allowed them to import a cannabis-based oil to treat her.

Since then, other families with epileptic children have urged policymakers to loosen the laws.

Growing regional debate

The government will host 4 more debates in other parts of the country between January and April ahead of a United Nations conference on drug policy. 

The Cancun debate included experts from Harvard University and the National Autonomous University of Mexico, with split opinions on the benefits of legalizing pot.

"Not all consumption is problematic. It depends a lot on the dose, the frequency (of drug use) and the age," said Deni Alvarez Icaza, a Mexican psychiatrist and co-author of the book "Marijuana and Health."

A Mexican health ministry study found that 17.2% of middle and high school children consume drugs, with most of those using marijuana.

The forums in Mexico are part of a growing debate in the region on legalizing marijuana.

In December, the president of Colombia, another country beset by drug violence, signed a decree legalizing medical marijuana.

Uruguay has created a regulated market for pot, while Chile's Congress is considering a bill to legalize the drug.

In the United States – the biggest consumer of drugs from Mexico – 23 states have legalized medical marijuana use while four states plus the US capital city have legalized its recreational use. – Carola Solé, AFP / Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The fate of around 100 ecologically-rich forests, mountains, and seascapes lies in the hands of Palawan lawmakers and officials,  environmentalists said on Wednesday, January 27.  

Opposition from Palawan personalities is a major reason why a House bill seeking to protect 101 biodiverse areas remains at the level of the House committee on rules, even if its Senate counterpart had been passed on third reading in August 2015.

The two bills, when consolidated, are intended to become the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System (E-NIPAS) law.

The gridlock in the House of Representatives “is a result of intense backdoor lobbying by Palawan officials, led by the Palawan governor, to stop the passage of the House bill as long as Palawan’s 5 protected areas are included in the law,” Palawan-based Environmental Legal Assistance Center Inc said in a statement.

“Some congressmen connected with mining interests are trying to take out 5 protected areas in Palawan from the bill,” environmental lawyer Ipat Luna revealed in a January 27 press conference. 

Both the passed Senate Bill and the latest version of the House Bill include 5 protected areas in Palawan: Malampaya Sound Protected Landscape and Seascape, Mount Mantalingahan Protected Landscape, El Nido Managed Resources Protected Area, Rasa Island Wildlife Sanctuary, and the Puerto Princesa Subterranean National Park.

But the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development, chaired by Palawan Governor Jose “Pepito” Alvarez, has insisted in House hearings and letters to the Senate that these areas be excluded from the bill, saying the PSCD would rather have a separate bill specific to these areas.

But Luna alleged that the real reason is to accommodate interests of mining groups who want to explore these areas for minerals. For instance, Mount Mantalingahan is believed to be rich in mineral deposits.

Specific Palawan law vs E-NIPAS

A specific law would allow a tacit exclusion of specific zones in these forests and seascapes to allow mining and logging there, said Luna. The proposed E-NIPAS bill, meanwhile, will impose a mining and logging ban in these areas.

It is not clear why the PCSD, a government entity created for the protection of Palawan’s natural resources, would oppose a bill that would increase funding and strengthen the management of its own ecologically-rich areas.

But in a letter, Alvarez told Senate bill author Loren Legarda that the existing Palawan Strategic Environmental Plan (SEP) Law is enough to protect these 5 sites.

Instead of including the 5 sites in the E-NIPAS bill, a separate, specific bill would better ensure a "commensurate budget allocation from the national government which they can cascade to every Palaweño that are the rightful stewards of Palawan's natural endowments."

PCSD Executive Director Nelson Devanadera is yet to respond to Rappler’s requests for comment on the issue. 

Aside from concerns from Palawan, other issues hound the bill in the House.

The bill's sponsor, Occidental Mindoro Representative Josephine Sato, cited issues that have to be addressed if the bill is to move forward: the "lack of a sense of urgency," the fear of LGUs that control of their protected areas will go to the national government, and conflicting definitions of what a protected area is.

But the government’s own Biodiversity Management Bureau chief Theresa Mundita Lim wants the E-NIPAS bill passed.

She said she expects the bill to “increase national government investment and support for protecting and expanding our protected areas system.”

Luna said the bill can “cure the ills” of the existing NIPAS law.

One way is by elevating the protection status of 97 to 101 ecologically-rich sites.

While areas like the Bohol Chocolate Hills and Mayon Volcano are considered “protected” under the NIPAS Act, this status is temporal because they are only protected by a presidential proclamation that can be repealed any time. 

The E-NIPAS bill grants protection through national legislation, the highest form of protection for natural resources in the country.

To date, only 13 places, including Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park and Mount Pulag National Park, are given this level of protection.– Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The leader of the 2.25-million strong Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) is facing a complaint filed by his own estranged sister Lottie Manalo-Hemedez.

INC executive minister Eduardo Manalo is the respondent in a complaint for falsification of public documents filed by Hemedez, in relation to the contested two-hectare property in Tandang Sora, Quezon City.

On January 6, two days after Hemedez filed the complaint against her brother, the Quezon City assistant city prosecutor Solivan Usman issued a subpoena requiring Manalo to appear at the prosecutor's office on Wednesday, January 27, for the preliminary investigation of the case.

Hemedez appeared before the prosecutor to subscribe to her affidavit, accompanied by her lawyer Ahmed Paglinawan. Manalo, however, did not attend, but was represented by INC counsel Willy Santos.

Santos said they will submit their counter-affidavit on March 2.

The two camps immediately left the prosecutor's office and did not speak to media.

Hemedez is contesting the INC's claim over the 36 Tandang Sora property where she and her brother Angel still reside, 6 months after their brother Eduardo expelled them from the church.

She has accused the church of falsifying a deed of sale that transfers the lot to the church. Hemedez' camp said the document, dated April 2015, was falsified because it was supposedly signed by Hemedez and her husband, who had died in April 2013.

For its part, the INC has long debunked Hemedez' claims, saying that the property has been theirs since the 1970s. The church earlier said Lottie's and Angel's continued stay at the compound was only "tolerated" since they were family members of the late INC executive minister Eraño Manalo.

But the religious organization is now demanding that the siblings vacate the property, citing the revocation of the siblings' privilege for their stay and the security threats that the siblings allegedly bring to the compound by allowing unknown masked men to enter without informing the church.

The INC earlier said it may file an ejectment case against the siblings if they continue to refuse their demands.

But Hemedez earlier said that aside from claiming the land title to the property, a precedent her father set showed that being part of the family, instead of the church, was what mattered when it comes to being allowed to live with the INC.

The Manalo camp has also slammed ongoing harassment from the church which, they said, was designed to force them out of the property. – Rappler.com

COPENHAGEN, Denmark – A Danish tourist returning from Latin America has been diagnosed with the Zika virus, which has been blamed for a surge in birth defects in Brazil and other countries in the region, a hospital said.

"A Danish tourist who travelled to Central and South America was diagnosed on his return with the Zika virus," Aarhus hospital in eastern Denmark said in a statement late Tuesday, January 27.

Britain has also reported a handful of cases in travelers returning from South America. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – A Vatican official warned Catholics on Wednesday, January 27, about “electronic sweatshops” in a “24/7 Internet culture” that gives little importance to leisure. 

Cardinal Peter Turkson stressed the value of rest – and the Sunday Mass, also known as the Eucharist – in a world that is busy 24/7. 

Turkson, the top Vatican official in charge of social justice issues, prepared these remarks for his session on Wednesday at the 51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) in Cebu City, Philippines.

The IEC is a week-long Catholic conference to discuss the value of the Mass, as well as its impact on society. (READ: ‘Boring’ Mass? Adapt it to Filipino culture, priests say)

Turkson’s message was read by Cagayan de Oro Archbishop Antonio Ledesma, as the cardinal couldn’t attend the IEC due to work at the Vatican. 

Turkson, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, wrote a speech on the topic, “The Eucharist and the Care of Creation.” Like Pope Francis, he connected the care of creation with “the ways we ‘use and abuse’ fellow companions on the earth – plants, animals, the earth itself.” 

Turkson, for one, warned about the forever busy world of the Internet.

The Vatican official said: “I often wonder whether the sweatshops, where mass-produced goods result in a dehumanization of too many of our brothers and sisters, are replaced in other cultures with the ‘electronic sweatshops’ of our Internet machines that lead to an equally dehumanized society.”

To stress this point, the cardinal recalled “a fairly new shopping center just outside of the New Gate in the city of Jerusalem.” 

'24/6' shopping center

He said this shopping center “is filled with numerous stores, and is a remarkable architectural achievement.”

Turkson continued: “What is very poignant, especially for a Western Christian, is to see the neon sign that says, ’24/6’! That is the Sabbath in present day ‘up in lights.’”

“But as we all know, the Sabbath rest is not that simple, especially in a ’24/7’ Internet culture,” he said, referring to the Jewish term for the day of rest.

Turkson then cited the Pope, who also emphasized the value of rest in his landmark papal letter on the environment, Laudato Si (Be Praised). 

In Laudato Si, Francis described Sunday as “a day which heals our relationships with God, with ourselves, with others, and with the world.” 

The Pope said: “We tend to demean contemplative rest as something unproductive and unnecessary, but this is to do away with the very thing which is most important about work: its meaning.”

“Rest opens our eyes to the larger picture and gives us renewed sensitivity to the rights of others. And so the day of rest, centered on the Eucharist, sheds its light on the whole week, and  motivates us to greater concern for nature and the poor,” the pontiff said. 

In September 2015, Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle already warned Filipinos about “worshiping their work.” 

“Part of spirituality is rest, and as we rest, we don’t only allow our body to recuperate. We allow the earth to also rest,” said Tagle, also one of the speakers at the IEC. – Rappler.com

Follow Rappler’s special coverage of the 51st International Eucharistic Congress

MANILA, Philippines – The gloves are off. 

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Wednesday, January 27, hit back and lashed out again against Special Action Force (SAF) chief Getulio Napeñas, during the reopening of the Senate probe into a controversial police operation that claimed the lives of more than 60 Filipinos, including 44 elite cops. (READ: Senate reopens Mamasapano probe to hear 'new evidence')

"Detached from the reality of the SAF operation" and "unaware of the magnitude of the SAF casualties" were among the choice phrases the military used to describe the retired police general, who led the Philippine National Police (PNP)'s elite anti-terrorism unit when it launched "Oplan Exodus" on January 25, 2015. 

Exodus was launched to target terrorists wanted by both the Philippines and the United States. While the SAF troopers were able to neutralize one of its targets, the operation triggered clashes between cops and Muslim rebels in the area, claiming the lives of more than 60 Filipinos in Mamasapano, Maguindanao.

The Mamasapano encounter is the biggest blow to the Aquino administration. It pulled down the President's approval and trust ratings to their lowest a couple of months after the incident, though he managed to bounce back by June.

During the tail-end of the Senate hearing, the line of questioning focused on one question: Is the army to blame for failing to send much-needed help to the pinned down SAF troopers? 

The AFP has long denied these insinuations, pointing out that they did not have the necessary information to launch artillery. The SAF specifically decided not to coordinate with the military, fearing information leaks. 

The SAF, however, insist they gave local military forces enough information the morning of January 25, 2015. 

AFP presentation

In a presentation before the Senate committee during the Wednesday hearing, the AFP laid out the operational conditions in the area to explain why much-needed artillery support could not be given: 

• Redeployment of AFP forces prior to incident. At least 5 battalions were redeployed outside the area of operation so the 6th Infantry Division were "thinly dispersed." No air assets were area, and another military operation was also ongoing elsewhere.
• The SAF "deliberately" withheld information about the SAF operations "which misled the AFP and other local PNP forces".
• Radios used by the police and military were not interoperable 
• Different maps were used
• No established SAF Tactical Command Post 
• SAF not knowing AFP's Call for Fire procedures and ceasefire protocols 
• No coordination 
• No tactical plan presented to the AFP 

The AFP reserved their harshest reason for last. "No sense of urgency on the part of Napeñas in conveying critical information on the condition of engaged SAF troops," the AFP presentation showed. 

The AFP then showed a photo of Napeñas, former SAF Deputy Director Noli Taliño, ARMM Regional chief Senior Superintendent Noel Armilla, and military colonels Gener Del Rosario and Melquiades Feliciano at the 1st Mechanical Brigade headquarters at around 4:14 pm on January 25, 2015. 

Both Napeñas and Taliño were in civilian attire in the photo, supposedly taken more than 12 hours since "Exodus" was launched. Around this time, all but one of the 55th Special Action Company (SAC) troopers were already dead while the 84th SAC were still trapped by hostile forces. 

Napeñas, said the AFP, had a "walk-in-the-park" mindset and lacked a grasp of the gravity of the situation. That he was in civilian attire, the AFP claimed, meant he had "no intention to lead from the front."

"[He] failed to exercise combat leadership [and] blamed everyone but himself," said the AFP in the presentation. 

"This kind of attitude and mindset was the root of the problem that led to the debacle suffered by the SAF 44," the military added. 

The AFP also showed a video supposedly showing SAF troopers from other companies doing nothing as military forces arrived to support the beleaguered SAF troopers. – Rappler.com

BEIJING, China – Nuclear-armed North Korea poses an "overt threat, a declared threat to the world," US Secretary of State John Kerry said in Beijing Wednesday, January 27, after talks with his Chinese counterpart following Pyongyang's fourth nuclear test earlier this month.

"The United States will do what is necessary to protect our country and our friends and allies in the world," Kerry added at a joint press conference with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi.

A US official said earlier the issue would be at the top of Kerry's agenda in his talks with Wang, adding: "The Secretary has made no secret... of his conviction that there is much more that China can do by way of applying leverage (on Pyongyang)."

China is North Korea's chief diplomatic protector and economic benefactor, but those ties have become strained in recent years as Beijing's patience wears thin with Pyongyang's unwillingness to rein in its nuclear weapons ambitions.

After the latest test on January 6 – which Pyongyang said was a miniaturized hydrogen bomb, a claim largely dismissed by experts – China said it "firmly opposes" the North's actions and summoned its diplomats for "solemn representations".

Nevertheless, the Asian power has proven reluctant to follow Washington's lead on the issue and no substantive actions towards the North have been announced.

Kerry said the two powers – both of them permanent members of the UN Security Council – had agreed to mount an "accelerated effort" to reach agreement on a new United Nations resolution on the issue.

But Beijing's ties with Pyongyang were forged in the blood of the Korean War and analysts say its leverage is mitigated by its overriding fear of a North Korean collapse and the prospect of a reunified, US-allied Korea directly on its border.

Earlier, as the two diplomats met, Wang welcomed the fact that Kerry's trip had taken in a number of Asian countries, saying visiting them could help him understand the continent. "It can help you listen to voices more objectively," he added.

As Kerry arrived in Beijing on Tuesday, January 26, the state-run China Daily ran an article headlined: "Experts have low hopes for Kerry's China trip."

Before Wednesday's meeting, the official news agency Xinhua issued a commentary blaming the US's "uncompromising hostility" and "Cold War mentality" for the situation on the Korean peninsula.

Washington's actions, such as flying a nuclear-capable B-52 bomber close to the inter-Korean boder, were heightening the North's "sense of insecurity and thus pushing it towards reckless nuclear brinkmanship," it added. – Rappler.com

PARIS, France – Astronomers have found the widest-known solar system, with a huge planet so far from its star that it takes nearly a million years to complete an orbit, according to a new study.

Long thought to be a free-floating or lonely planet without a solar system "home", scientists have now linked it to a star about a trillion kilometers away.

They were observed to be moving through space together, and both are about 104 light years from our Sun – implying an association.

"This is the widest planet system found so far and both the members of it have been known for 8 years," study lead author Niall Deacon of the University of Hertfordshire said in a statement.

But "nobody had made the link between the objects before. 

"The planet is not quite as lonely as we first thought, but it's certainly in a very long distance relationship."

The findings were reported Tuesday, January 26, in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

The planet, dubbed 2MASS J2126, is about 7,000 Earth-Sun distances from its star, giving it the widest orbit known. One circuit around its star takes the around 900,000 Earth years.

It is so wide, in fact, that the planet would have completed fewer than 50 orbits in its entire lifetime.

"There is little prospect of any life on an exotic world like this, but any inhabitants would see their 'Sun' as no more than a bright star, and might not even imagine they were connected to it at all," said a statement.

The planet is estimated to have about 11.6 to 15 times the mass of Jupiter. 

"How such a wide planetary system forms and survives remains an open question," said study co-author Simon Murphy of the Australian National University. – Rappler.com

CHICAGO, USA – The downtrodden US city of Flint was poisoned in a misguided drive by penny-pinching officials to save money, a lawsuit filed Wednesday, January 27, claimed, demanding the corroded lead pipes responsible for contaminating tap water be immediately replaced.

Officials are accused of ignoring months of health warnings about foul-smelling and discolored water, even as residents complained it was making them sick.

"In a failed attempt to save a few bucks, state-appointed officials poisoned the drinking water of an important American city, causing permanent damage to an entire generation of its children," Michael Steinberg, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, said in announcing the lawsuit.

"The people of Flint cannot trust the state of Michigan to fix this man-made disaster and that is why court oversight is critically needed."

Governor Rick Snyder – who faces calls to resign over his handling of the scandal – appointed a team of outside experts Wednesday to help the state resolve Flint's water crisis and deal with the long-term health impacts.

In an interview with CNN, set to air Wednesday evening, he admitted the number of children harmed by lead in the water could be much higher than tests have so far revealed.

"There could be many more," the governor told CNN, "and we're assuming that."

Snyder vowed at a news conference to help "address the damage that's been done" in the predominantly poor and black city of 100,000.

But he stopped short of promising to replace the pipes, which began releasing lead after Flint switched to a cheaper but dangerously corrosive water supply.

"It's a lot of work to take out pipes, to redo the infrastructure," Snyder told reporters.

"The short-term solution is to hopefully recoat, and have it validated by third parties so we know the water is safely coming out."

$1.5 billion fix

Lead exposure is harmful to everyone, but it can have devastating impacts on young children by irreversibly harming brain development. It has been shown to lower intelligence, stunt growth and lead to aggressive and anti-social behavior.

Water treatment plants across the United States are required to closely monitor lead levels in tap water and use chemicals to reduce acidity and coat pipes to prevent corrosion.

The state of Michigan is working to map out exactly where the old lead pipes are in Flint so it can "come up with the proper priorities about how we replace that infrastructure," Snyder said. But he said that was a long-term project and declined to comment on the lawsuit.

Flint's mayor has estimated that the cost of fixing the damage done to the city's infrastructure by the corrosive water could reach $1.5 billion.

The cash-strapped city was reportedly hoping to save $5 million over two years by drawing water from the Flint River beginning in April 2014 rather than continuing to buy it from nearby Detroit.

The state's environment department approved the switch even though the city's treatment plant was not able to produce water that met state and federal standards.

It cost $12 million to switch Flint back to the Detroit water system in October after a local pediatrician released a study showing that the number of children with elevated blood-lead levels had doubled from 2.1 to four percent.

Nation's pipes need replacing

Activists and environmentalists says the state now needs to spend whatever it takes to make sure the water is safe to drink.

"For years the state told us we were crazy, that our water was safe, which wasn't true," said Melissa Mays of Water You Fighting For, a Flint-based organization which joined the American Civil Liberties Union and the Natural Resources Defense Council in filing the lawsuit.

"For the sake of my kids and the people of Flint, we need a federal court to fix Flint's water problems because these city and state agencies failed us on their own."

Replacing all the lead pipes in Flint would take years and cause major disruption for residents because roads would need to be shut down to dig them out of the ground, said Greg DiLoreto of the American Society for Civil Engineers.

But while short-term fixes might be able to resolve Flint's lead problems for now, replacing those pipes is something that Flint – and most other American cities – has to start planning for, he told Agence France-Presse.

A large proportion of the nation's water systems were built in the early 20th century and some pipes date back to the late 1800s. 

"No engineer designed any system to last 150 years," DiLoreto said in a telephone interview.

"This is like your house. At some point you're going to have to put a new roof on it." – Mira Oberman, AFP / Rappler.com

UNITED NATIONS – French Ecology Minister Segolene Royal on Wednesday, January 27, made the case for higher carbon pricing to promote green technology at a UN gathering of investors.

"We need a carbon price, to give companies the ability to manage the long term cost (of global warming) and give them an incentive to invest," Royal told the meeting attended by climate crusader Al Gore and former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg.

The idea of a setting a price for the cost of carbon is to encourage polluters to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases they emit by making them pay the bill and focus on the need to develop and invest in green technology.

Royal said that while a single carbon pricing would not be achievable, there should be a "price window" between an agreed bottom figure and a higher price. 

In Europe, the current price of 8 euros per ton was too low, she said, adding that 15 euros should be the minimum.

"The challenge is to drive up the price per ton of CO2, which is currently too low at 8 euros per tonne," she said.

France has set a carbon price of 22 euros per ton, which will increase gradually to 100 euros in 2030.

Royal said the drop in oil prices could provide a boost to companies who may choose to direct saving from the lower prices toward their transition to cleaner technologies.

"With lower oil prices, we are at the perfect moment to introduce a carbon price. It will be more readily accepted," she argued. 

Some 60 countries and regions are paying for carbon emissions through taxes or carbon markets, with China preparing to create a domestic carbon market next year. – Rappler.com

Image courtesy Shutterstock

This is the concluding part of our 2-part series on campaign spending in 2010 and 2013

READ: How did Binay fund his 2010 campaign?

MANILA, Philippines – Money talks. 

It could also hold many secrets. Some candidates finance their own campaigns, while a majority source funds from various contributors who could be expecting favors in return.

As the 2016 election nears, here's a quick look at how much other presidential bets spent in their previous campaigns in 2013 or 2010.

Under the Omnibus Election Code, all candidates are required to submit their Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE), which explains the sources and spending of campaign funds.

Based on the 2010 and 2013 SOCE of the current presidential bets, Mar Roxas spent the most, while Miriam Defensor Santiago spent the least. All spending on media ads hovered in the hundreds of millions pesos. 

Rodrigo Duterte, who sought only a local position, spent the least for his campaign and spent nothing on media advertisements.

Mar Roxas

Roxas outspent BInay in 2010, forking out P279.4 million, with 83% going to media ads. The bulk of his funds came from 33 contributors, amounting to P246 million. He dipped into his own pocket and spent P33.4 million. 

His biggest contributions came from relatives, with his aunt Maria Araneta-Fores topping the list at P60 million. His mother Judy Araneta-Roxas and his uncle Jorge Araneta came in second at P50 million each.

Meanwhile, his brother-in-law Augusto Ojeda and his aunt Ruby Roxas gave P10 million each. His cousin Margarita Araneta-Fores chipped in P7 million.

The Araneta family is among the country's wealthiest, with businessman Jorge Araneta ranking 26th in the 2015 Forbes richest list.

The family operates various business empires such as real estate, entertainment, and the food industry.

Despite spending the most, however, Roxas lost his vice presidential bid in 2010 to Binay. He filed an electoral protest against Binay before the Supreme Court but nothing has come out of it. In his petition, Roxas raised the issue of the high incidence of null votes discovered, which amounted to 2.6 million, but Binay wants the petition dismissed.

Jejomar Binay

Among those running in 2016, Binay is the second biggest spender in past campaigns, with a total expenditure of P217.9 million, of which 80.5% went to media ads.

In his 2010 SOCE, Binay declared that he did not spend his own money, but sourced all his funds from contributions that amounted to P231.5 million.

Next to Roxas, Binay received the biggest amount of contributions. 

His top contributors include a pharmacy mogul, a banking veteran, a relative, and businessmen tagged in two separate controversies: the alleged overpriced Makati City Hall Building and the dubious Boy Scouts of the Philippines deal. (READ: How did Binay fund his 2010 campaign?)

Grace Poe

Poe, who ran for the Senate in 2013, is the 3rd biggest spender, closely followed by Santiago. Those running for president and vice president expectedly spend more than those seeking only a Senate seat.

In her 2013 senatorial bid, Poe spent P123.4 million, with 95% going to media ads.

She said she did not spend a cent of her own, but depended entirely on 62 contributors consisting of private corporations and individuals. In total, she received P123.6 million.

Poe’s biggest contributor was her mother Jesusa Poe (whose screen name is Susan Roces) who gave her daughter P17.4 million. Joining Poe's mother are big shot businessmen who gave P10 million each:

• Michael Escaler: President of San Fernando Electric Light and Power Company Inc, among other ventures, involved in transportation, agriculture, and waterworks.
  
• Thomas Tan: Director at San Miguel Corporation, president of SMC Shipping and Lighterage Corporation, among other ventures involved in cement and packaging.
  
• Edwin Luy: President of Triton Securities Corporation.
  
• John Paul Ang of the Eagle Cement Corporation owned by San Miguel Corporation.

FPJ Productions Inc, her father's company, also shelled out P12.7 million.

Miriam Defensor Santiago

In 2010, Santiago spent P117.5 million for her senatorial campaign, less than what Poe spent. 

Under election laws, failure to submit one's SOCE within 30 days after the election merits a fine of P1,000 to P30,000. Santiago filed a bill to amend this provision, raising the fine to P100,000. Her bill, however, remains pending.

Unlike other candidates, Santiago's SOCE is harder to decipher, making it unclear where her funds were sourced. Her SOCE only declared the P500,000 Santiago personally shelled out.

A big chunk of Santiago's funds went to media ads, comprising around 93% of her total expenditures.

The senator has been vocal in criticizing candidates who "overspend" during campaigns.

Under election laws, those who overspend can be imprisoned for one to 6 years.

Presidential candidates are only allowed to spend P10 per registered voter. In 2016, there will be around 54.4 million registered voters, which means each presidential candidate can spend a maximum of P544 million.

No national candidate, however, has ever been penalized for overspending in recent times. Why? Because campaign expenditure caps apply only to the campaign period itself. This means the candidates' spending before February 9, 2016 will not be counted in their SOCE – allowing several candidates to get off the hook.

Such a "loophole" in the law has been deemed unfair by some Filipinos.

Rodrigo Duterte

In 2013, Duterte ran for Davao City mayor. He has served 7 terms, before gunning for the presidency.

Among all presidential bets, Duterte spent the least in campaigning since he only ran locally.

In total, he spent P85,885 out of his own pocket.

A big bulk of his funds went to travel expenses, with the remainder going to print materials and communications. According to his SOCE, Duterte did not spend on anything else.

In January 2016, Duterte said he is not spending his own money for television ads intended to boost his presidential candidacy. He has repeatedly said that among the reasons why he did not want to run for president is he has no money.

Duterte’s statement came days after research firm Nielsen Philippines reported that he spent P115 million on political ads in 2015. Based on Nielsen data, he was 4th on the list of highest spenders, which was reported to be topped by incumbent Vice President Binay who is now running for president.

“Somebody in the Chinese community gave the money to help me with those ads,” Duterte explained. His other ads, according to his camp, were financed by supporters. 

The Commission on Election's (Comelec) Campaign Finance Office is in charge of monitoring and evaluating the spending of all candidates from February to May 2016.

Citizens, however, also have a role to play, the Comelec said. Anyone can report extravagant campaign gimmicks observed in their communities. – Rappler.com

Is your candidate following campaign finance rules? Have you seen suspiciously extravagant campaigns? Let us know, e-mail us at move.ph@rappler.com. Stay vigilant, own your vote!

To reach the Comelec Campaign Finance Office, contact 525-9334.

TOKYO, Japan – Satellite imagery analysis suggests North Korea may be preparing a long-range ballistic missile launch, Japan's Kyodo News reported Thursday, January 28, citing a Japanese government source.

Imagery collected over the past several days suggested the launch from the western Dongchang-ri site could come in about a week, Kyodo said.

While the report did not provide any details on the source of the analysis, Japan's key security ally the United States regularly monitors North Korea from space while Japan itself in 2003 began its own satellite monitoring of the country.

South Korean defense ministry spokesperson Kim Min-Seok declined to confirm or deny the report, saying the ministry did not comment on intelligence matters.

He added, however, that South Korea's military was monitoring for any signs of a long-range missile launch.

The report came as the international community discusses further sanctions against Pyongyang for conducting its fourth nuclear test earlier this month.

"The reclusive country's supposed action could be aimed at flouting the (UN security) council and any plans among its members to tighten sanctions over the latest nuclear detonation," Kyodo said in its report.

Washington is pushing for a strong United Nations response, including enhanced sanctions, to respond to the North's latest atomic blast.

But China, North Korea's chief diplomatic protector and economic benefactor, is reluctant, despite their ties becoming strained in recent years as Beijing's patience wears thin with its neighbor's ambitions for nuclear weapons.

US Secretary of State John Kerry met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing Wednesday and said they had agreed to mount an "accelerated effort" to try to resolve their differences on a new resolution.

But Kerry, who said nuclear-armed North Korea poses an "overt threat, a declared threat to the world", acknowledged that the two had not agreed on the "parameters of exactly what it would do or say". 

Pyongyang said the blast earlier this month was a miniaturized hydrogen bomb, though experts have largely dismissed the claim.

The South Korean defense ministry's Kim added that officials were on guard for any changes in North Korea's previous behavior.

"In the past, North Korea always fired a long-range missile ahead of a nuclear test. But since it didn't this time, we are concerned that it could launch one" afterwards, he said.

Kim also stressed that Pyongyang used to notify China and the US before carrying out nuclear tests, though this time did not.

"We believe that North Korea could launch grave provocations by surprise – without pre-warning – from now on."

The possible preparation of a missile launch also came after the North said it carried out a submarine-launched ballistic missile test in December.

Pyongyang hailed that test as a great success and released a video that researchers at the California-based James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies concluded had been heavily doctored and edited to cover up a "catastrophic" failure. – Rappler.com

ATHENS, Greece – Under fire over its handling of the EU's migration surge, Greece cannot hope to manage the influx unless Brussels and neighboring Turkey keep their side of the bargain, experts say.

The European Commission on Wednesday, January 27, blasted Greece for "seriously" neglecting its border obligations and gave Athens three months to remedy the problem.

A damning EU report researched in November found insufficient registering and fingerprinting of migrants entering Greece from Turkey, the main gateway for refugees fleeing war in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

This came after a succession of eastern EU states this week said Greece was failing to protect the exterior borders of Europe's passport-free Schengen zone, with some threatening to make Bulgaria and Macedonia the cutoff point if Athens is unable to staunch the inflow.

"If Greece and Turkey fail to protect the outer border and we are unable to cope with strong migrant pressure, we will have to discuss a plan B," Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka said on Tuesday, January 26. 

Austria, Poland and Hungary have voiced similar criticism.

The pressure rose further with a senior Belgian official floating the idea of Greece being forced to host hundreds of thousands of migrants as punishment.

"The Greeks must suffer the consequences," Theo Francken, secretary of state for migration, told public broadcaster VRT.

"Hosting 200-300,000 people in camps on external borders is the sole possibility of halting the flow of refugees in the short-term." 

Greece has reacted angrily to the criticism, with government spokeswoman Olga Gerovassili accusing EU partners of shifting blame instead of working together to end the continent's worst migration crisis since World War II.

"This tactic of diverting responsibility is not an effective response to a problem of historic dimensions, which requires joint action," she said Wednesday, pointing to Turkey as key in resolving the crisis.

'A game of bluff'

EU border agency Frontex this week acknowledged that the Aegean Sea, which claims the lives of migrants and their children almost on a daily basis, "is not a field that can be fenced."

"A game of bluff among EU states is now in the process of blowing up," says Henri Labayle, a law professor at the University of Pau, France.

Though Greece has long failed to meet its obligations, Labayle noted the "complete contradiction" of Athens being forced to axe state jobs under its economic bailout, and then being castigated for not having enough border staff.

In the last few months, Austria, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, France and non-EU member Norway have all introduced temporary controls over the migrant crisis, but with a limit of six months.

Philippe Leclerc, acting representative of the UN refugee agency in Greece, warns that border closures would have serious ramifications for debt-hit Greece.

"Over 2,000 people cross (from Greece into Macedonia) on a daily basis," he told Agence France-Presse.

"Should this procedure slow or stop altogether, it would have considerable repercussions on Greece."

Countries along the Balkan migrant route last year began restricting entry only to refugees from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq.

And Macedonia last week began intermittently closing its Greek border, only allowing passage to refugees wishing to go to Germany or Austria. 

Another change of policy on which nationalities to accept could leave tens of thousands requiring winter shelter, Leclerc adds.

"There is great fear (in Europe) and it leads to divisive and unilateral moves by nations," Yannis Mouzalas, Greece's junior migration minister, told Skai TV this week.

A former senior member of Doctors of the World, Mouzalas says screening centers known as hotspots would be fully operational on five Greek islands by early March.

"It’s very difficult to build a hotspot when in the same hotspot every day you have 10,000 immigrants," he said.

He has insisted that despite the shortages, identification of migrants has been dutifully carried out for months, enabling Greek police to track the passage of at least two men who took part in November's jihadist attacks in Paris.

Mouzalas has repeatedly noted that Greece has received far less in staff and equipment than originally pledged by Europe.

"The Greeks in August wanted an additional 1,600 staff. Frontex promised 750, and 300 are currently available," says a European security source.

Turkey has taken little action to stop the activities of people smugglers on its coasts whilst also placing obstacles to repatriation of economic migrants.

"In recent days Turkey took back 123 migrants and sent over 60,000," Mouzalas told Skai TV on Wednesday.

"The Turks only take their own back... They refuse 98% of relocation demands," says the European security source. – Odile Duperry, AFP / Rappler.com

NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar – President Thein Sein hailed the "triumph" of Myanmar's transition of power Thursday, January 27, addressing a military-dominated parliament for the final time before a handover to Aung San Suu Kyi's pro-democracy movement.

The Southeast Asian nation, choked for decades under junta rule, is on the cusp of a remarkable political transition after Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) thundered to victory in November elections. 

Myanmar's people are hoping her government can reboot a country eviscerated by half a century of army rule that battered the economy and repressed dissent.

"Even though there were difficulties and challenges, we were able to bring a democratic transformation eventually," Thein Sein said addressing the military-stacked legislature for the last time.

"This is a triumph for all Myanmar's people," he added.

"As everyone knows, for over 5 decades we were far away from a multi-party democratic system," he said.

Thein Sein, who under drawn-out handover rules retains his post until the end of March, has been a key player in Myanmar's astonishing reform process so far.

He was among a host of military figures who shed their uniforms to form a government in 2011.

Initially that government was viewed with suspicion as a civilian front for the army's continued domination of the country from behind the scenes.

While the army retains major clout, sweeping political and economic reforms since 2011 have surprised the international community, encouraging a flood of foreign investment.

They culminated in November's polls which passed peacefully and fairly and saw Suu Kyi's party scoop nearly 80% of elected seats in the national parliament.

Thein Sein's party was all but annihilated in the legislature. 

Both he and powerful army chief Min Aung Hlaing have pledged to support the transition towards democracy in the face of Suu Kyi's popular mandate.

The new NLD MPs, many of whom are political novices from a diverse range of professions, will take their seats on Monday, February 1 following the final day of a lame duck session by the outgoing parliament on Friday, January 29.

A flurry of political plays have dominated the days leading up to the handover, leaving analysts struggling to decipher their meaning in a country where decision-making has long been made in secret.

Suu Kyi met Min Aung Hlaing on Monday, January 25, and a day later a proposal emerged to extend the remit of the powerful home affairs ministry, which is controlled by the military.

The 70-year-old Suu Kyi is currently barred from becoming president by the junta-era constitution that many believe was designed specifically to exclude her.

She has vowed to rule through a proxy, who is yet to be named in public.

Observers say the former political prisoner is seeking to find ways to placate a twitchy military, which maintains huge political and economic sway. – Rappler.com

CEBU CITY, Philippines – Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle criticized politicians, parents, and even his fellow bishops as he delivered a scathing litany against the “throwaway culture” across all sectors of society. 

Leaving no stone unturned, Tagle also urged husbands, wives, teachers, and priests to share “gifts,” not just leftovers. 

Tagle spoke on Thursday, January 28, at the 51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC), a huge week-long conference that aims to discuss the Mass or the Eucharist, as well as its impact on society. 

“Buying for the sake of having leads to throwing away. And we throw away goods that the poor should benefit from but could not afford to buy,” said Tagle, who became a contender for the papacy partly because of his rousing speeches at two previous IECs. 

“But is it not ironic that the culture of accumulation is also the culture of throwing away? Who has something to throw away? Only those who have accumulated. And they have accumulated what they do not need,” added the cardinal who heads Caritas Internationalis, the world’s biggest network of Catholic charities.

Tagle cited the “throwaway culture” often mentioned by Pope Francis. (READ: 'People thirst while golf courses abound in water')

The cardinal known as “the Asian Francis,” however, made it clear that the “throwaway culture” involves not only purchased goods.

Scathing litany 

To explain this, he launched into litany chastising various sectors of society.

“Husbands who are here,” Tagle said, “are you tempted to throw away your wife like a home appliance? She is a gift; don’t throw her away!”

“Wives, are you about to throw away your husbands like junk? Think twice, your husband is a gift.”

“Parents, do you see in your son or daughter that gives you some difficulties, a thing to be thrown away, or do you see in him or her a gift of God?”

“Mothers, do you consider the baby in your womb a burden or a problem to be thrown away, or a gift of life?” 

“Teachers, will you throw away slow learners among your students, or will you treasure them as gifts, especially if you are teaching in a Catholic school?” 

“Politicians – mhmm! – will you throw away people’s taxes for your parties and shopping, or guard them as gifts for social service?” he asked.

At this point, the IEC's estimated 12,000 delegates applauded, as the name “Cardinal Tagle” also rose to become the fourth top trending topic on Twitter.

Laughing, Tagle continued: “My dear reverend novice mistress, do you treat a rather unique novice as a problem to be thrown away, or a gift of mystery? How do you solve a problem like Maria?”

“Bishops, do you see our rather independent-minded priests worthy of being thrown away, or as gifts providing collaboration?”

“Priests, religious, and lay people, do you want to throw us bishops away, too? Believe it or not, even bishops could be gifts,” he said.

Wedding gown for Yolanda survivors 

To better stress his point, Tagle recalled one donation for survivors of Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in November 2013, back then the most powerful storm to ever make landfall.

“And may I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters,” he said in a raised voice. “When you send relief goods to victims of natural calamities, please, do not send what you have thrown away! You are just decluttering your closet.”

“Imagine, during the time of Haiyan or Yolanda, as we were unpacking some of the donations, there was a wedding gown. Who would use a wedding gown? They were just throwing away unused clothing to the poor!”

Tagle – in tears – also recalled another story that shows the opposite. 

He recounted his experience as a parish priest in the 1990s, when he called a poor girl with polio to join him at the Washing of the Feet ritual on Holy Thursday.

Departing from the tradition of having only men at the ritual, he also invited the youth, sick, poor, women, people with disabilities, and other “unknowns” as among the 12 “disciples” for the Washing of the Feet.

Tagle described the girl as one “who regularly sold flowers and candles at the church grounds,” and who “had to walk on crutches.”

“Many people must have bought from her candles, flowers, without seeing her, without knowing her. But that evening, to commemorate the Supper of the Lord, she processed to the altar, bearing the pains and sufferings of the poor and the lame.”

“I will never forget how it felt to hold, to wash, and to kiss her foot, her limp and shriveled foot. It would be forever etched in my memory,” Tagle said, his voice cracking. 

The girl returned to him a few hours after the Mass. “Father,” the girl told him, “people flocked to me after the Mass, and they bought my flowers and candles.”

“Then she asked me, ‘Will you wash my feet again next year?’”

Crying, Tagle said: “She is no longer just a polio-stricken flower and candle vendor. She has entered the community. The wall of alienation has been torn down at the Supper of the Lord.”

Even Jesus was 'thrown away'

Tagle, president of the Catholic Biblical Federation, then reminded his flock: “Mind you, the Bible is filled with people who were thrown away.”

The cardinal recalled the following biblical figures: “Joseph, thrown away and sold by his brothers; David, threatened to be thrown away by King Saul; Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, thrown away into hiding during her pregnancy. Joseph and Mary, thrown away to the manger by closed doors.”

Finally, he said: “Jesus, thrown away by the jealousy and fear of power-hungry politicians, thrown away by self-righteous religious leaders, and finally thrown away by the betrayal and denial of friends.”

“All of them were thrown away by an unfriendly world. But God took them in his gentle hands and gives them to us as his gifts,” he said.

“On the night Jesus was betrayed, on the night when all forces were conspiring to throw him away, he gave himself, as a gift of love. ‘No one takes my life from me; I lay it down on my own.’”

Eventually, Tagle ended his speech with another litany – this time, thanking people who, in the words of an author, would otherwise be thrown “into invisibility.”

Following a pregnant pause, then raising his arms as well as his voice, Tagle said in the packed IEC Pavilion: “To the many people who arrange the seats here before we come every morning, and who stay behind while we are probably already sleeping in our hotels, thank you.”

“To those who are preparing our food early morning, and who clean up after us, and stay till the late hours of the night, thank you.”

“For the drivers who wait for hours to pick us up and to take us back home, missing their families and their meals, thank you.” 

Tagle added, “You make this Eucharistic Congress truly a culture of Eucharistic love.” – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – It was an emotional moment for presidential aspirant Senator Grace Poe, who could not hold back tears when asked if her presidential bid is "worth it" amid all issues thrown against her.

The question made Poe, at risk of disqualification over citizenship and residency issues, look back on her accomplishments in her short stint in government.

But Poe had to pause several minutes before she could actually answer the question, as her tears continued to flow.

During her 3-year stay in the Senate, Poe said she has already pushed for amendments to the Dangerous Drugs Act and for the institutionalization of feeding of some 4 million underprivileged children.

“I looked back on the data of (things) I’ve already done. What a privilege it is to be in a position to help our countrymen. It’s worth the fight if you feel you can institute change at a faster pace and can be felt by those in need,” Poe said in a forum with the Inquirer.

Poe clarified she did not become emotional over issues on her citizenship as a foundling, as she said she has been “desensitized” since grade school. 

“You’ve been desensitized since grade school. Minsan sasabihin, 'Ampon ka lang.' (It’s more of) Wow, nagawa ko na rin pala 'yan. Puwede pala (Sometimes they'll say, 'You're only adopted.' [It's more of] Wow, I accomplished that),” Poe said. 

It was not the first time for the senator to turn emotional in public. At the 13th Philippine Global Consultation on Child Welfare in September last year, Poe  cried as she talked about her parents, actress Susan Roces and the late Fernando Poe Jr, and her adoption.

Optimistic

Now that the Supreme Court is hearing the disqualification case against her, Poe said she remains optimistic that the High Court would rule in her favor. (READ: It's a close Supreme Court vote on Poe's cases)

She based her confidence on her camp's strong legal arguments to push for her cause. Poe maintained this case has implications on other Filipino foundlings as well. (READ: Sereno to Poe camp: Show possible implications of case on foundlings)

“I remain hopeful and very positive that we have offered the Supreme Court the truth that we have viable legal standing. I offer the SC not only my situation but the situation of hundreds of thousands of foundlings who are in the same plight,” Poe said.

Asked what she will do if the decision is against her, Poe said she would act depending on the exact ruling.

If the ruling questions her residency, she said she would not be able to run for president but would remain a senator. But if the decision declares her not a natural-born Filipino because is a foundling, she would also be removed as a senator. 

Either way, Poe maintained she would comply with the decision of the SC.

“It is tragic and sad. It was an opportunity to be able to contribute greatly and a faster way to give support to your countrymen. On the other hand, as a private citizen, we’ve been quite happy with our lives, families, and friends. We can still do many things with or without position in government,” Poe said. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Education (DepEd) welcomed Congress' approval of a bill that will allow public school teachers to opt out of election duty. 

But DepEd spokesperson and Assistant Secretary Tonisito Umali is confident that even if the bill is not enacted into law in time for the 2016 elections, teachers who will be appointed members of the Board of Election Inspectors (BEI) will accept the job.

"Ang layunin lang naman dito, 'yung basic principle na 'wag naman sana nilang pilitin 'yung guro natin kung ano mang dahilan meron sila, kung ayaw nilang magsilbi. Parang sana may ganung karapatan naman 'yung mga teachers," Umali said during the department's first Kapihan on Thursday, January 28.

(The only goal here is the basic principle of not forcing teachers to render election duties if they do not want to, whatever their reason may be. Hopefully, teachers will have that right.)

Umali recalled that in past elections, when votes were counted manually, teachers were exposed to various kinds of dangers, as well as pressure from politicians.

"But even with that right or option [not to render election duties], we are very confident that our teachers, if appointed as BEI members, they will accept."

Out of more than 650,000 teaching personnel in the country, Umali said more or less 233,487 teachers will be needed for the 2016 elections. The education department has already submitted a list of teachers who may serve as BEI members.

Under Senate Bill 2178 or the Election Service Reform Act (ERSA), the Commission on Elections (Comelec) may appoint the following in case there would be a lack of election officers:

(In order of preference)

• Private school teachers
• National government employees (excluding military officers)
• Members of Comelec-accredited citizens' arms
• Any voter with no political affiliations

If no other qualified voter volunteers, personnel from the Philippine National Police will be the last resort.

The Senate bill, which was adopted by the House of Representatives, now awaits the signature of President Benigno Aquino III. 

Increase in honorarium

Umali said the department is right on track in its preparations for the 2016 elections. By February or March, the DepEd, together with Comelec, will train the teachers for their election duties, including how to use the vote-counting machines.

As for the honorarium, even without the proposed law, teachers will get P4,500 ($94.21)* – a P500-increase ($10.47) from the 2013 rate of P4,000 ($83.75). Below is the breakdown, based on figures cited by Umali:

• P3,000 ($62.81) - honorarium
• P500 - verification and sealing of book of voters
• P500 - final testing and sealing of the vote-counting machines
• P500 - transportation allowance

The honorarium will be higher under the proposed ERSA, as election volunteers can get a maximum of P6,000 ($125.63), on top of a P1,000 ($20.92)-travel allowance.

The department is also prepared in case of any election-related injuries or deaths.

"Mayroon tayong P13-million ($272,009.59) fund that may be used for election-related deaths or injuries for our DepEd and non-DepEd personnel, at 'wag naman po sana, kapag may nasawi, meron po silang P200,000 ($4,184.76) na maaaring makuha ng kanilang mga anak at heirs," he explained.

(We have a P13-million fund that may be used for election-related deaths or injuries for our DepEd and non-DepEd personnel, and in the event someone dies – we hope it won't happen – their children and heirs will receive P200,000.) –Rappler.com

*US$1 = P47.76

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Grace Poe said on Thursday, January 28, that she would not meddle in the case of former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo if she is elected president.

The presidential aspirant made the statement in a forum with the Inquirer on Thursday, when asked what would happen to Arroyo under a Poe presidency.

“Kahit na sino pa nasa kulungan na may tunay na kahinaan o sakit, kailangan bigyan ng konsiderasyon. (Iyan ay) nasa desisyon na rin ng korte at doctor. Di ko papakialaman yan. Kung ano magiging desisyon nyan susuportahan ko,” Poe said.

(Whoever is in jail who is really weak or ill has to be given consideration. That's also up for the decision of the courts and doctors. I will not meddle in that. Whatever their decision may be, I will support it.)

Her father, the late action star Fernando Poe Jr, ran and lost to Arroyo in the 2004 presidential elections, widely believed to be marred by fraud.

“Importante sa isang pangulo na patas ang isang korte at panatilihin ang imbestigasyon ay maging malinis at maayos (It is important for a president to ensure the fairness of the courts and the clean and orderly investigation of cases),” the senator said.

In 2005, Poe decided to return to the country and was a key personality in anti-Arroyo protests, especially after the Hello Garci controversy, wherein Arroyo was allegedly heard ordering an elections commissioner to fabricate votes in her favor.

Arroyo was arrested in 2012 over the alleged misuse of the P366 million- Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) intelligence funds from 2008 to 2010.

The former president, who is suffering from cervical spondylosis, is under hospital arrest at the Veteran's Medical Memorial Center.

In 2015, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) opined that the detention of Attoyo "violates international law" and is "arbitrary on a number of grounds."  

Malacañang, however, earlier maintained only Philippine courts have sole jurisdiction on Arroyo’s case and that she “has been accorded such due process and has availed herself of various legal remedies under Philippine laws.” – Rappler.com 

MANILA, Philippines – An international watchdog condemned the human rights record of President Benigno Aquino III, saying he has failed to make the reforms needed for a lasting legacy.

In its World Report 2016 released on Thursday, January 28, Human Rights Watch said there has been "no real progress on justice for serious abuses" committed under the Aquino administration.

It added that with just 5 months left in the President's 6-year term, his performance when it comes to human rights has been "disappointing."

“Since his election, President Aquino held out the promise of a rights-respecting Philippines for which he has sadly been unable to deliver,” Phelim Kine, deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.

“While the number of serious violations has declined during Aquino’s administration, ongoing killings of prominent activists and the lack of successful prosecutions mean there’s nothing to prevent an upsurge of abuses in the future.”

Extrajudicial killings & death squads

Human Rights Watch said 65 leftist activists, human rights defenders, and alleged supporters of communist rebels were killed in the first 10 months of 2015 alone, according to data from local groups. 

Since Aquino rose to power in 2010, nearly 300 have been killed. 

Justice remains elusive as well, said the global watchdog, because "killings implicating the military and paramilitary groups almost never result in prosecutions."

It does not help that the extrajudicial killings are "publicly encouraged" by some local officials. The group's primary example: Rodrigo Duterte, the tough-talking mayor of Davao City known for his iron-fist approach to criminality.

"[Duterte] has popularized the perception of death squads as valuable tools of 'swift justice' against crime," the Human Rights Watch report stated. "The Aquino government has failed to investigate Duterte’s claims of masterminding the Davao City death squad."

In May 2015, the group had called for a probe into Duterte's statements, saying an investigation was long overdue.

While the mayor has since claimed his "bad" human rights record merely started as his opponent's political gimmick, he also once told Rappler that he was willing to kill to ensure peace.

Indigenous peoples

Human Rights Watch also cited data from local advocacy groups, which reported at least 13 killings of tribal leaders and community members in the first 8 months of 2015. The alleged perpetrators – military and paramilitary groups. 

"Paramilitary groups, some of them funded and supplied by the military, are frequently deployed as 'force multipliers' against insurgents.... spawning abuses against the local population," said the global watchdog.

Indigenous peoples in Mindanao, added Human Rights Watch, are being driven from their ancestral lands by the military operations. (READ: Voice of a Lumad widow: Our land, our blood)

The United Nations' refugee agency puts the number of displaced people at 243,000, many of them facing "inadequate food, shelter, and health care." (WATCH: Rappler Talk: Addressing Lumad killings and internally displaced people)

In November 2015, Aquino met with Lumad leaders in Malacañang. The Palace did not give specifics at the time, only saying that the President "heard the totality of their concerns and issued directives to come up with concrete action plans to address these, both in immediate and long-term."

Attacks on media

More members of the media also lost their lives in 2015. (READ: Change PH image as 'killing fields of journalists' – senators)

Human Rights Watch said 9 journalists were killed last year – 3 of them in August – and only one suspect was reported arrested.

"Task Force Usig, a unit created by the Philippine National Police in 2007 to investigate these murders, has not been able to fully investigate most of these killings, mainly due to the lack of witnesses willing to publicly identify themselves and share information with police," said Human Rights Watch. (READ: PH 4th worst country in unsolved media murders)

Aquino has previously said that his administration is addressing media killings, but admitted that "unfortunately, speed is not a hallmark of our current judicial system."

'Unfulfilled' promise

Last June, Malacañang reiterated it was "committed" to improving the state of human rights, especially in conflict zones. It also urged lawmakers to pass measures that could address concerns of human rights activists. (READ: Palace urges co-equal branches to help improve PH HR record)

But it's a promise that Human Rights Watch said Aquino has not achieved, and a goal that now rests on the shoulders of his successor.

"The Philippines’ next president must be prepared to tackle deep-seated impunity for abuses by state security forces and the corrupt and politicized criminal justice system." – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – He has a copy of an alleged recording that would show a “cover-up” in the Mamasapano incident, but he wants presidential candidate Senator Grace Poe to subpoena it as part of a Senate inquiry.

A day after the Senate’s reopening of its probe into the Masamapano clash, retired police general Diosdado Valeroso urged Poe to summon him so he could play the recording.

Stressing he’s a mere “messenger,” Valeroso challenged lawmakers to make the recording part of the ongoing re-investigation on Mamasapano.

“‘Wag niyo pong i-tuon sa mensahero (Don’t focus on the messenger),” Mamasapano told reporters on Thursday, January 28. “Bakit di nila ipakinig and make it an official part [of the investigation]? ‘Yan po ang trabaho nila, ‘wag silang magtago sa batas,” he added. (Why don’t they play it and make it an official part of the investigation? That’s their job, they should not hide behind the law.)

Valeroso earlier told a press conference that he has a copy of a recording of a supposed conversation between two top government officials discussing an alleged cover-up of the Mamasapano operation.

Senate President Franklin Drilon however rejected proposals that it be played during the Senate hearing last Wednesday, January 27, saying it would be a violation of Republic Act 4200 or the Anti-Wiretapping Act. 

“Senator Poe has to invite us to play the audio recording – in private or in public," Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM) chairperson Sonny Melencio told Rappler. Valeroso is running for senator under PLM.

"We have to be summoned because we can’t just play it because of Drilon’s standing threat,”  Melencio added.

Lawyer Argee Guevarra said that a subpoena of the recording before the Senate inquiry “will exempt" them from "any criminal prosecution.” 

He said the recording will expose a "cover-up" in the botched operation that killed at least 60 people in January 2015, including 44 members of the national police's Special Action Force (SAF).

The Mamasapano operation, whic targetted wanted terrorists, was the worst crisis to hit the Aquino administration. 

What if the audio recording is not subpoenaed? Melencio said they have other options: play it in a public forum or post it on social media. – Rappler.com