Albayalde orders police to exchange notes with NBI on teen's slay

CEBU CITY – Philippine National Police chief, General Oscar Albayalde, on Wednesday ordered authorities to dig deeper in investigating the brutal killing of a 16-year-old girl in Lapu-Lapu City last month.

Albayalde, who is in Bohol for a command conference, said in a radio interview that he has ordered police probers to exchange notes with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in solving the case.

He noted that he is closely monitoring every development of the case.

Meanwhile, Brig. Gen. Debold Sinas, chief of the regional police, said a 42-year-old man who reportedly confessed to the brutal killing of Christine Lee Silawan because of “obsession”, is now considered a person of interest.

He, however, refused to identify the person, saying that he is not yet considered as suspect while the police is still conducting validation of his testimonies.

“Yes, we have a person of interest. He’s different than the primary suspect earlier pinpointed,” Sinas was quoted by a radio report as saying.

Sinas said the person of interest came to know the teenage girl through exchanges of chat and text messages.

“He is known for duping girls,” he said.

Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza earlier broke the news about the man who is said to have owned up to the crime because of “obsession” for the 16-year-old.

She also refused to divulge the name of the person, saying that she is leaving disclosure of his identity to the police.

The mayor said Lapu-Lapu City Police chief, Col. Limuel Obon, confirmed to her that his office held a man who claimed to have knowledge about the cruel death of Silawan.

According to media report here, the man, a resident of Lapu-Lapu City, is included in the city’s drug watchlist. He was reportedly arrested for carrying an unlicensed firearm, but later confessed to the police probers that he killed the teenager.

The police is still determining the relationship between the second person of interest and the victim’s 17-year old boyfriend, who is now in the custody of the local social welfare and development office.

Lourdes, the mother of Christine, said she wanted to talk to the second suspect to know why he killed her daughter.

Silawan was found dead in an uninhabited lot in Sitio Mahayahay, Barangay Bangkal, Lapu-Lapu City on March 11. (PNA)

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1066992

Piñol shrugs off resignation rumors

Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol on Wednesday dismissed rumors that he has resigned from his post.

Piñol, in a press briefing, also shrugged off the supposed "joke" of President Rodrigo Duterte during an event in Palawan last week that he (Duterte) wants him out of his Cabinet.

"I don't own this position. If the President feels that he is not happy with my performance, I go and I will not feel bad, he said.

"I've done my best, but if the basis for my resignation is the joke of the President, I've heard that 20 times, whether in my presence, or in my absence. I've known this guy for the last 25 years, if you don't know him well, you will be offended. Well of course it's not comfortable to hear... but unless he calls me and tell me that he no longer needs my services, I will go," he said.

For the past 25 years, Piñol said: "Hindi ako nangurakot sa posisyon ko (I have never been corrupt) in my position. I would feel that if he (Duterte) feels that he doesn't need me anymore, patatawag niya ako (he will summon me)."

The DA chief has been placed under the microscope over the agriculture sector’s 0.1 percent contribution to the country’s overall gross domestic product growth in 2018.

"I can humbly say that while I may not have done so much as expected by some sectors, I have maintained a frugal life and resisted temptations. I am working and I will continue to serve the President and the Filipino farmers and fishermen. I'm just doing my job," he said. (PNA)

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1066993

Megaworld opens P750-M hotel in Binondo

Property developer Megaworld Corp. on Wednesday introduced a new homegrown hotel brand in Binondo, Manila with an investment of PHP750 million, to meet the rising demand mainly from business visitors.

Jeremy Russell Go, resident manager at Hotel Lucky Chinatown, told reporters that target markets of the hotel are Chinese business travelers and tourists who are keen on exploring Chinatown.

“Actually, it’s in our pipeline of encouraging the DOT (Department of Tourism) to encourage especially tourists like the Korean market (to come here) because they are very much interested in Chinese culture,” he said.

Hotel Lucky Chinatown is the company’s eighth hotel property in its portfolio offering 93 rooms and suites.

Megaworld has already opened seven local homegrown hotels around the country under four brands that include Richmonde, Belmont, Savoy and Twin Lakes. (PNA)

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1066996

PRRD to sign 2019 national budget on April 15

President Rodrigo R. Duterte will sign the long-delayed PHP3.7-trillion national budget for 2019 on April 15, Malacañang confirmed on Wednesday.

"The Palace confirms that the ceremonial signing of the General Appropriations Act 2019 has already been calendared in the President’s schedule on April 15, Monday," said Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo in a statement.

Panelo said the 2019 budget is a continuation of Duterte's promise of bringing genuine change in the country.

"This year’s National Budget – our third under the Duterte Administration – is a continuation of our narrative of genuine change and meaningful progress through, among others, our intensified infrastructure development programs, expanded policies on human development and poverty reduction, as well as strategies in advancing the peace and order situation of the country," Panelo said.

Panelo thanked the Senate and the House of Representatives for passing a budget supportive of the President's vision.

"We thank the men and women of the Senate and the House of Representatives for supporting this Administration’s endeavors in pursuing a path towards the President’s vision of a prosperous and high-income economy under a secure and peaceful nation where all Filipinos can experience a dignified and comfortable life," he said.

The government has been operating on a reenacted budget since January 1 after lawmakers failed to pass the bill last year due to allegations of pork "insertions".

The passage of the 2019 budget was further stalled due to allegations of last-minute amendments made by the House after both chambers of Congress ratified the bicameral conference committee report.

Panelo earlier said Duterte has the right to veto certain realignments and would not sign anything ‘unconstitutional’.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III earlier announced that he has signed the proposed PHP3.7-trillion national budget “with strong reservations”.

Sotto appealed to Duterte to veto “unconstitutional” provisions amid allegations that some PHP75 billion had been realigned by the House of Representatives to benefit various lawmakers. (PNA)

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1066997

DOLE orders total deployment ban of OFWs to Libya

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Wednesday ordered a total deployment ban of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) bound for Libya.

DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III issued the order upon the advice of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) amid the escalating violence in the North African country.

“Upon the advice of the DFA, we are imposing a deployment ban of workers to Libya to ensure their safety and security and to avoid getting caught in the escalating violence in Libya,” he said in a statement.

Bello noted that they are in coordination with DFA to closely monitor the situation and assess the possible repatriation of OFWs, to ensure the workers' safety and security.

“DOLE is ready to provide repatriation assistance to our Filipino workers who will signify interest to come home,” he said.

“An augmentation team will be dispatched this week to ensure the welfare of our workers, and assist their possible repatriation. Also, we are prepared for any exigency of forced repatriation if the situation deteriorates,” Bello added.

On Monday, DFA raised Alert Level 3 in Tripoli and some areas within a 100-kilometer radius of the capital, which is considered as voluntary repatriation phase.

The implementation of the deployment ban will take effect until the situation normalizes, or until further advice by the DFA.

The DOLE is in constantly assessing the situation and will issue appropriate advisories from time to time.

The reintegration assistance from Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) awaits OFWs who may be repatriated from Libya.

There are around 2,600 documented OFWs in Libya, mostly professionals, composed of medical workers and skilled workers. (PNA)

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1066994

21 cops to secure journos, assist PTFoMS probe on media killings

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has provided 21 police officers to the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) as part of efforts to protect media practitioners, especially during the election season.

PTFoMS Executive Director,  Undersecretary Joel Sy Egco, expressed gratitude to Police Security and Protection Group director, Police Brig. General Filmore Escobal, for this gesture.

“Basically we are here to personally express our gratitude to (Brigadier) General Escobal. Alam niyo kasi (You know) today, this is election season, and we observed in the PTFoMS that every election season is the most risky for media workers or journalists nationwide,” Egco told reporters in a press briefing after the simple turnover ceremony of the 21 cops.

Citing the Maguindanao massacre, which happened ahead of the 2010 presidential elections, Egco said the police officers will help secure media workers against election-related violence and assist the task force in investigating media killings.

Egco said the 21 PSPG personnel detailed to PTFoMS will conduct investigation of 170 cases from 1986 up to present.

The PSPG is the PNP unit mandated to provide security to anybody who needs it, including media workers facing threats.

“In terms of media killings, the PTFoMS has all the data. We have agreed long before that there should only be singular data. If you want updates on the case, you will be referred to the PTFoMS. This is the start of something good. We have to be vigilant now. There is indeed a spike in violence against the media. This is a sign we're actually prepared for anything. Not just the PNP, the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) and AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) are also there," Egco stressed.

Egco, a former journalist, said dirty politics, crime and corruption and economic vulnerability are the three main factors contributing to violence against media workers, especially those based in the provinces.

“We have to be very vigilant, we recognize the problem on media violence. I spent more than two decades (in) media. Always stick to the highest ethical standards of the profession,” he said.

Egco said they will assign the police personnel to media practitioners, who have imminent threats against their lives in line of their jobs as well as those who will be assigned to cover critical areas.

He said media personnel may send requests to their office for the provision of security personnel.

“What we usually do is we contact the local police to provide immediate security. We must be pro-active unlike the former task forces which were reactive. They only act when the journalist is already killed. Here, once the journalist calls, within 10 minutes, we have what we call quick reaction system and I instructed my men, you need to act within 10 minutes or you're fired,” said Egco.

Escobal, meanwhile, said the PSPG will fully support the PTFoMS when it comes to securing high-risk individuals.

“Since they (21 cops) are detailed to PTFoMS, they will perform duties on investigation and we will utilize, create regional and security protection unit personnel based on what the PTFoMS needs,” Escobal told reporters.

“We can provide security as long as it's not permanent. The permanent provision of security will depend on Comelec (Commission on Elections) provision,” Escobal said. (PNA)

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1066936

Signing of 2019 budget to force senators to identify realignments

The signing of the 2019 General Appropriations Act (GAA) by President Rodrigo Duterte will force senators to identify their respective individual realignments in the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) submitted to Malacañang, a House leader said Wednesday.

Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr., who chairs the House committee on appropriations, said this is due to the fourth budget book that was included in the 2019 GAB, the first time that the expenditure bill will be made up of four volumes of budget books.

“Congress has included the fourth book for this year’s GAB in the interest of transparency and accountability. The new book, which is part of the budget reforms initiated by the current House leadership, contains the list of itemized allocation for programs and projects under the 2019 GAB,” Andaya said.

The House leader said records of the bicameral deliberations on the national budget would show that the fourth book was a condition put forward by the House of Representatives during the initial stage of the bicam and accepted by the Senate contingent.

He said the House leadership moved for the itemization of the budget for specific programs and projects, in compliance with the latest Supreme Court's decision on the pork barrel issue.

The lawmaker noted that the 2013 SC decision specifically instructed lawmakers to adopt a detailed line-item budgeting for the full appreciation of the President.

“Line-item budgeting is our response to the people’s demand for transparency and accountability in the national budget. Lump-sum funds are more prone to corruption and violate many tenets of transparent expenditure of public funds. It is for this reason that the Supreme Court had declared discretionary lump sum funds unconstitutional,” Andaya said.

He said the line-item budgeting approach enables President Duterte to exercise his veto power.

Andaya cited SC Justice Antonio Carpio who, in his concurring opinion on the 2013 decision, said: “Congress has the constitutional duty to present to the President a General Appropriations Act (GAA) containing items, instead of lump-sums, stating in detail the specific purpose for each amount of appropriation, precisely to enable the President to exercise his line-item veto power. Otherwise, the President’s line-item veto power is negated by Congress in violation of the Constitution.”

In spite of this, Andaya said senators have opposed the itemization of the realignments done by the House after the ratification of the proposed 2019 budget, insisting that post-ratification itemization is “unconstitutional.”

“The line-item budgeting approach is adopted in the 2019 General Appropriations Bill. It is printed in the budget books for every taxpayer to see. The senators may oppose such approach, but it is in full compliance with the laws of the land and in light of the Supreme Court decision,” he said.

But while the House moved to itemize its realignments, he said senators unilaterally decided on certain budget cuts and realigned them to other items based on request of individual proponents.

“Up to now, the Senate has yet to make public a detailed report on the proponents who recommended the individual realignments,” Andaya said.

But this would not be for long, he said, since the fourth budget book with the itemized allocation for programs and projects will be out in the open once President Duterte signs the 2019 GAA.

“The public release of the new budget law will leave our esteemed senators no choice but to identify their individual realignments which found print in the 2019 GAA. Only by doing so can the public be made fully aware what are the pet programs and projects of the senators they voted into office,” Andaya said. (PNA)

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1066937

Benitez considered to head new housing department

BACOLOD City – Negros Occidental third district Rep. Albee Benitez is being considered to head the newly formed Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD).

Benitez told reporters here on April 7,2019 that he was informed by former President and now House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo that he is being eyed for the position.

Benitez is on his last term as congressman and declined to run for governor in the 2019 elections to pave the way for a united ticket in the province.

Benitez was the main author of the bill that created the DHSUD in the House while Senator JV Ejercito sponsored the Senate version.

The DHSUD will combine the administrative functions of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) and the planning and regulatory functions of the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB).

The National Human Settlements Board will exercise the powers and functions of the attached agencies regarding policy and program development.

“The Department will act as the primary national government entity responsible for the management of housing and urban development. There will be a formulation and implementation of a more coherent and holistic plan for the housing sector,” Ejercito said.

He said the Philippines’ housing backlog in 2018 is more than two million and it is projected to balloon to 6,571,387 by the end of 2022.

The Department will be tasked to assist the local government units (LGUs) in the utilization of the socialized housing tax and other sources of funds for housing which shall be exclusively used for new settlement projects.

https://thedailyguardian.net/negros/benitez-considered-to-head-new-housing-department/