Sunday, January 31, 2021
Babae patay matapos saksakin ng kinakasama sa Samar
Patay ang isang babae mula San Jorge, Samar matapos saksakin ng kaniyang kinakasama, ayon sa pulisya.
Sa ulat ng Eastern Visayas police, kinilala ang biktima bilang si Jennifer Santiago, isang 40 anyos na health worker at residente ng Barangay Mo-boob.
Kinilala naman ang suspek bilang si Liberato Cabubas, isang 51 anyos na magsasaka.
Ayon sa pulisya, lasing si Cabubas nang lapitan nito noong Biyernes si Santiago nang walang dahilan at biglang sinaksak.
Isinugod sa ospital si Santiago pero idineklarang dead on arrival.
Nasugatan din sa insidente ang isang magsasaka at 2 guro.
Ayon kay Capt. Michael Ray CaƱete, hepe ng San Jorge police, isang liblib na lugar ang barangay na pinangyarihan ng krimen.
Pagdating umano ng mga pulis sa lugar ay dinala na sa ospital ang mga biktima at nakatakas ang suspek.
Sa ngayon, patuloy ang pagtugis kay Cabubas.
-- Ulat ni Ranulfo Docdocan
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/31/21/babae-patay-matapos-saksakin-ng-kinakasama-sa-samar
1 patay sa buy-bust ops ng PDEA sa Tawi-Tawi
COTABATO CITY, Philippines—Isang lalaki ang patay habang nakatakas ang isang kasama nito sa buy-bust operation ng Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency BARMM sa Tawi-Tawi Sabado ng umaga.
Kinilala ang namatay na si Winnie Basanon, tinaguriang No. 10 most wanted sa lalawigan, ayon sa mga awtoridad.
Dakong alas-7 ng umaga nang ikinasa ng PDEA-BARMM ang operation sa Barangay Bintawlan, bayan ng South Ubian.
Nakuha sa mga suspek ang 6 na sachet na naglalaman ng pinaniniwalaang shabu, 7 piraso ng straw, 1 rolled aluminum foil, at 1 puting plastic case.
Nakuha rin sa kanila ang P1,000 kasama ng boodle money, isang cell phone, isang kalibre .45 na baril, isang M16-A1 rifle at isang M14 rifle.
Ayon kay PDEA BARMM regional director Juvenal Azurin, papasok na ang kanilang tropa sa lugar nang magpaputok ang mga suspek.
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/31/21/1-patay-sa-buy-bust-ops-ng-pdea-sa-tawi-tawi
Agriculture dept confirms case of African swine fever in Dulag, Leyte
The Department of Agriculture (DA) confirmed in a statement on Friday the presence of African swine fever (ASF) in Dulag town, Leyte.
The Regional Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (RADDL) conducted a rapid test following what was described as "an unusual death" of 1 sow in Barangay Combis, according to the DA.
It was confirmed Friday as a positive ASF case following results of the PCR diagnostic test conducted by the Bureau of Animal Industry in Manila.
Dulag is 43.8 kilometers from Abuyog town, where a previous ASF case in Leyte was detected. At least 519 hogs were culled in Abuyog as a result of the ASF spread to nearby towns.
In response to the ASF case in Dulag, the DA Regional Task Force conducted an orientation for municipal officials, including Mayor Mildred Joy Que on how to contain the disease.
Hog raisers in Dulag were also advised to closely monitor their respective livestock, avoid swill feeding, and enforce strict quarantine measures.
They were also advised to report to Municipal Agriculture Office symptoms and report unusual hog deaths.
Saturday, January 30, 2021
8 of 10 Pinoys favor ABS-CBN’s return on air, poll survey says
Eight out of ten Filipinos favor erstwhile network giant ABS-CBN to return on air, according to a mobile-app survey conducted recently by WR Numero Research.
The polling and data analytics firm released the results of its recent survey conducted a few days after Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sottto III filed a bill that would allow one of the country’s leading media outfit to resume operations with a fresh 25-year legislative franchise from Congress.
House Deputy Speaker Vilma Santos and Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman followed Sotto’s lead by submitting in the House of Representatives separate bills granting ABS-CBN a legislative franchise.
Two days before WR Numero Research made public the result of its survey, Palawan Rep. Franz Alvarez, chairman of the House Committee on Legislative Franchise, declared that there is no chance the pending franchise bills can revive ABS-CBN’s bid to get back its television and radio franchise that expired May 4, 2020.
WR Numero Research said it had “sought to gauge the level of Filipino support” towards calls for the network to resume its operations.
Based on the mobile app-based survey conducted from January 11 to 15, eight in 10 respondents favor ABS-CBN return on air. At least six of those supporting the network stated they “strongly favor” a comeback.
“Only 11 percent oppose the return of the network while eight percent are still unsure,” the polling firm said.
It added that 5,000 respondents participated in the survey.
“Through a mobile app-based survey with 5,000 respondents nationwide, a quota sampling method based on geographic location, age, sex and income was utilized to gather the data,” WR Numero Research said in a statement.
“With the survey question “Sangayon ka bang maibalik muli ang operasyon ng ABS CBN (Are you in favor of ABS CBN’s operations to return)?” Eight in 10 are in favor of ABS CBN’s return with six of them saying they strongly favor. Only 11 percent oppose the return of the network, while eight percent are still unsure,” the firm explained.
However, leaders of the Lower House appeared cold to proposals to revive ABS-CBN’s bid to resume operations.
“The ABS-CBN franchise issue was put to rest when the Committee, voting 70-11, rejected the network’s franchise application on July 10, 2020,” said Alvarez.
After the voting, the House panel also approved a motion to lay the ABS CBN bills on the table.
Alvarez explained that the only possibility that the ABS-CBN issue can be taken up again by the legislative franchise panel is for one of the 70 solons who rejected the franchise bills to file a motion for reconsideration.
Sotto and the 15 senators supportive of ABS-CBN’s cause may only succeed if the Lower House decides to approve a consolidated franchise measure.
Under the Constitution, grant of legislative franchises have to be initiated in the Lower Chamber.
Alvarez said Thursday that ABS’CBN network’s bid to return to the air waves and instead be taken up in the next Congress and under a new president.
https://mb.com.ph/2021/01/30/8-of-10-pinoys-favor-abs-cbns-return-on-air-poll-survey-says/
Friday, January 29, 2021
Bear Brand Vilma Santos 2
Sa health ng pamilya, dapat doon tayo sa subok na! Bear Brand, 30 years na nagbibigay-tibay, alagang walang katulad ang buong pamilya, kaya naman ngayong 30 years, number one ang Bear Brand tunay na maasahan. Bear Brand: 30 years ng tibay sa pamilyang Pilipino!
Original video courtesy of eatbulaga1979
© 2006 NestlĆ© Philippines, Inc.
Knorr "Beef Sopas"
Gusto mo mag-Knorr Beef Sopas, perfect yan sa:
Chicken Nuggets, nugg-ka-Knorr!
Galungong, gigi-ka-Knorr!
Sa wakas, wala nang prito iyon, kaya ikaw, mag-pri-ka-Knorr!
Original video courtesy of eatbulaga1979
© 2006 Unilever Philippines, Inc.
God’s Will
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give your hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
For a moment suppose that God has a blueprint, a plan for your life. Now if God has a plan for your life, would it not have to be a good one? After all, He created you, and He knows you better than you know yourself. He sees your life in the focus of all eternity while with our human limitations we simply see today.
Look at nature. It seems quite evident that nature follows a master plan. The seasons are caused by a twenty‑three‑and‑a half degree tilt of the earth’s axis. The earth orbits the sun in exactly three hundred sixty‑five and a quarter days. Even the air that we breathe shows that an intricate plan was followed in its creation. Our atmosphere is 80% nitrogen and 20% oxygen‑‑a perfect ratio to sustain life. If the atmosphere contained more oxygen, our systems would burn out, and if there were less oxygen, you would be sluggish. But a ratio exists that is perfect for the rate of oxidation.
The crystal clear water that cascades down the mountainside reveals an intricate plan when one considers the fact that every molecule of water contains exactly two atoms of hydrogen and one of oxygen. Both hydrogen and oxygen are flammable, yet the two unite to put out fire.
Scientists using the Mt. Palomar telescope say that the vastness of creation practically defies human comprehension. For instance, they tell us there are more than a hundred billion stars in every universe. Did you catch that figure‑‑one hundred billion stars in every universe? And so far scientists have discovered more than two hundred million universes. YET there are more atoms in a single crystal than stars in all the universes added together.
Through God’s creation it seems evident that what God does, He does well. There is no doubt that when God has a plan, it is a perfect one. The question then comes to our minds, “Does God actually have a plan, a blueprint, for my individual life? And if He does, how do I find that plan for my life?”
Rest assured that God does have a plan for your life. Think for a moment: would He create a world with infinite perfection and leave man, the highest of all creation, to follow his own blunders and mistakes? No, a thousand times no! God has a plan, a divine will, for your life and you can know that plan.
Nearly two thousand years ago God sent His Son into the world to die in your place for your sins at Calvary. This was part of God’s master plan for the human race. The first step in God’s blueprint for your life is that you should find eternal life through Jesus Christ. As you accept Christ as Lord and Savior of your life, you then come into a plane of fellowship where God will communicate His plan to you.
The reason most people never find God’s plan for their lives is because they have no point of contact with a holy and just God. Jesus Christ is the advocate, the intercessor, the go‑between, between God and man. It took someone who was both man and God to span the gulf that existed between the infinite and the finite. Jesus Christ was that person.
After you invite Him into your life, you can find guidance in knowing what God’s purpose and will is for your life. The Bible will become a new book to you because you now know the Author. Prayer will become a two‑way communication as you talk to God and He impresses on your heart His direction for you. Yes, God does have a will, a blueprint, a plan for your life. That plan is revealed through His Word and the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
Resource reading: John 3:1-21.
Jollibee 2 pieces Pancakes
2 pieces of moist pancakes served with butter and maple syrup.
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House shuts door on ABS-CBN franchise
THE House of Representatives has no intention of tackling new proposals to grant media giant ABS-CBN Corp. a franchise and would rather pass the buck to the next Congress.
Rep. Franz Alvarez (Palawan), chair of the House committee on legislative franchises, made the announcement yesterday in response to a query from Anakalusugan party-list Rep. Michael Defensor about the status of House Bill No. 6732 that would have given the media network a provisional franchise extension for six months.
Defensor was one of the panel members who led the opposition last year against a franchise extension, accusing ABS-CBN of numerous violations including allowing foreign interests, illegal use of investment instruments, and labor issues.
The 18th Congress will end on June 30, 2022.
Alvarez pointed out that while HB 6732 is listed under “Unfinished Business,” it no longer requires any action because the provisional franchise would have only lasted until Oct. 31, 2020.
“Obviously, this is already moot and academic. Based on my understanding from the House leadership, the ABS-CBN franchise issue is best left to the next Congress,” he said.
Alvarez noted that the ABS-CBN franchise issue was “put to rest” after the franchise committee voted 70-11 against the network’s franchise application on July 10, 2020.
“Under the rules, anyone of the 70 House members who voted against the franchise application could file a motion for reconsideration on behalf of ABS-CBN to challenge the decision of the committee. Unfortunately, there was none, thus the committee decision has become final,” he said.
The country would keep GMA as the free-to-air channel.
Early this month, deputy speaker and Batangas Rep. Vilma Santos-Recto filed a bill proposing to give ABS-CBN a new franchise while in the Senate, a similar measure was filed by Senate President Vicente Sotto III.
https://malaya.com.ph/index.php/news_news/house-shuts-door-on-abs-cbn-franchise/#
Chair of House panel dismisses talks of franchise renewal for ABS-CBN
HOUSE Committee Chair on Legislative Franchises Franz E. Alvarez dismissed proposals to revive talks on the renewal of the ABS-CBN Corp. franchise, adding this can be tackled in the next Congress.
In a statement on Thursday, Mr. Alvarez made the statement after Anakalusugan party-list Representative Michael T. Defensor on Wednesday’s plenary session proposed to discuss the “unfinished business” regarding the media network’s franchise. Other lawmakers declined his motion.
The said “unfinished business” is House Bill 6732, which sought to grant the embattled network a provisional franchise until Oct. 31, 2020. The bill was filed by Taguig City-Pateros Rep. Alan Peter S. Cayetano in May 2020.
“Obviously, this is already moot and academic. Based on my understanding from the House leadership, the ABS-CBN franchise issue is best left to the next Congress,” Mr. Alvarez said.
On Wednesday, lawmakers agreed during the plenary to discuss the matter next week.
Mr. Defensor is among the 70 lawmakers who voted against the franchise application of ABS-CBN last July 10. Mr. Alvarez said any lawmaker who voted against the measure can file a motion for reconsideration to challenge the decision made by his committee, which voted 70-11 for the franchise denial.
“Unfortunately, there was none, thus the committee decision has become final,” he said.
The network earlier said that its closure forced more than 11,000 into unemployment and resulted in “information gaps” in areas that rely on its news services.
ABS-CBN’s 25-year franchise expired on May 4, 2020. Before its closure, President Rodrigo R. Duterte said the network “will not see the light of day” and that its franchise will never be renewed. His ire was centered on unaired election campaign ads.
It would keep GMA, PTV, TV5 as the free-to-air networks in the country — Gillian M. Cortez
https://www.bworldonline.com/chair-of-house-panel-dismisses-talks-of-franchise-renewal-for-abs-cbn/
‘ABS-CBN franchise issue best left to next Congress’
The franchise issue of broadcast giant ABS-CBN is best left to the next Congress, the chair of the House legislative franchises committee said yesterday.
Palawan Rep. Franz Alvarez said there is no need to raise the matter again before the plenary as it was already put to rest by their panel’s decision in July last year to reject the network’s application for franchise renewal.
“Under the rules, any one of the 70 House members who voted against the franchise application could file a motion for reconsideration on behalf of ABS-CBN to challenge the decision of the Committee.
Unfortunately, there was none, thus the committee decision has become final,” Alvarez explained in a statement.
He said the franchise issue is already “moot and academic” after they voted 70-11 to reject the bills seeking to grant a fresh 25-year franchise to the network.
“The subject matter of the unfinished business in the plenary is House Bill 6732, which seeks to grant ABS-CBN a provisional franchise effective until Oct. 31, 2020,” Alvarez pointed out.
“Based on my understanding from the House leadership, the ABS-CBN franchise issue is best left to the next Congress.”
Alvarez made the statement after Deputy Speaker and Batangas Rep. Vilma Santos-Recto filed a new bill pushing to grant a franchise to the network, taking cue from a similar measure in the Senate filed by Senate President Vicente Sotto III.
It also came after panel vice chair and Anakalusugan Rep. Mike Defensor raised the ABS-CBN franchise in session last Wednesday and asked the plenary to settle the matter that has remained in their agenda since last year.
Defensor stood up and manifested that the committee report on House Bill 6732, which grants ABS-CBN a franchise to operate until Oct. 31 last year, has been languishing on the floor for many months already. The committee report has been included in the “unfinished business” of the House, and Defensor argued that the chamber should take up these matters first before going on with their business for the day.
“Mr. Speaker, I would like to raise a point of order that the unfinished business of the ABS-CBN franchise be decided first before we take up any issue in plenary,” Defensor argued.
After debate on the matter, Senior Deputy Majority Leader Jesus Crispin Remulla informed the floor that the matter is scheduled to be taken up in their next session on Monday.
House Bill 6732 was filed by former speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and seven other lawmakers in May last year to grant ABS-CBN a provisional franchise while the committee was deliberating on the measures that sought to renew the original franchise of the network for another 25 years.
The measure was approved in the committee level, through the committee of the whole, and on second reading on May 13, 2020, eight days after ABS-CBN went off the air.
However, the bill was later reverted to the plenary to accommodate additional interpellation and amendments from lawmakers.
Cayetano then decided to just consider the proposals to grant a 25-year-franchise to ABS-CBN instead of giving the network a provisional one, leaving House Bill 6732 pending on the floor.
The House franchise panel later rejected the bill due to violations of the franchise by the network.
‘Denial of ABS-CBN franchise final’
THE decision of the Committee on Legislative Franchises of the House of Representative rejecting the measure that sought to grant a new franchise to ABS-CBN Corp. is final, the panel’s chairman, Rep. Franz Alvarez, said on Thursday.
He explained that the ABS-CBN franchise issue was “put to rest” when the committee, through the vote of 70 lawmakers, rejected the network’s franchise application on July 10, 2020.
“Under the rules, anyone of the 70 House members who voted against the franchise application could file a motion for reconsideration on behalf of ABS-CBN to challenge the decision of the Committee. Unfortunately, there was none, thus the committee decision has become final,” Alvarez said in a statement.
The possibility of tackling the ABS-CBN franchise in the plenary emerged when Anakalusugan Rep. Michael Defensor raised a point of order during the House session on
Wednesday, asking to resolve the committee report on House Bill (HB) 6732, granting a temporary franchise to the network.
He said the bill, one of the items listed in the body’s “unfinished business,” must be tackled first before proceeding with the business of the day.
Senior Deputy Majority Leader Jesus Crispin Remulla said the plenary would start taking up items in the unfinished business next week.
HB 6732 is one of the eight items listed under the House’s unfinished business. It is unclear if all items will be tackled on Monday.
But, for Alvarez, HB 6732 is “moot and academic” as it proposes to grant a provisional franchise only up to Oct. 31, 2020.
“Based on my understanding from the House leadership, the ABS-CBN franchise issue is best left to the next Congress,” he said.
Former speaker Alan Peter Cayetano led the filing of HB 6732, a temporary relief for the continuous operation of ABS-CBN after its previous franchise expired.
The bill was passed on second reading by the House Committee of the Whole last May 2020, but was recalled because of questions on constitutionality, having been passed the same day it was filed. The House instead proceeded with the committee deliberations on the 12 bills seeking to grant a 25-year franchise.
Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate said it was up to the House leadership if the deliberations of HB 6732 would be continued since it had been overtaken by the committee hearing.
In the meantime, he said the Makabayan bloc had a pending motion to bring the committee report on the franchise bills to the plenary for all members of the House to decide upon. The Makabayan lawmakers are among the authors of 12 franchise bills.
Zarate said the bloc would support any means for ABS-CBN to resume its operations citing the urgency of its contribution to information dissemination especially on the coronavirus and vaccines.
“Kung ano man ang kahihinatnan nito, nandyan ang aming tindig na dapat bumalik sa ere ang ABS-CBN para maituloy nito ang pagbibigay nito ng serbisyo sa mga mamayang Pilipino na alam natin na kailangang kailangan ngayon (Whatever the result will be, we maintain our stand that ABS-CBN must come back to continue its service to the Filipino people that we know is very much needed right now),”he stressed.
https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/01/29/news/national/denial-of-abs-cbn-franchise-final/834312/
Thursday, January 28, 2021
Good News: Forgiveness
If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared. Psalm 130:3-4
“To err is human; to forgive, divine,” said the wise man long ago. It’s true, but of all the transactions which take place between people, none is more difficult than to seek and give forgiveness. There’s good news, however. Forgiveness is the key to emotional and spiritual healing and the passport to your future happiness. It’s God’s way of eliminating the cancer of hatred and anger which rips the fabric of relationships apart much as a little boy tears the wrapper off a candy bar.
The Psalmist wrote, “If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared” (Psalm 130:3,4). Who was the author? Probably David, one of the greatest personalities of all time, a man who earned the respect of generations not only for what he did but for his humility in acknowledging his sins and failure.
A few minutes ago I used my computer to scan the text of the Bible to see how many times the phrase, “I have sinned,” appears in the Bible. A rather wide group of people cried out, “I have sinned,” but only David said, “I have sinned greatly!”
Was David that much worse than others? Not necessarily. But what David did gives us insights to what we must do in coming to grips with the necessity of forgiveness. First, he acknowledged his personal failure. When he had a sexual relationship with another man’s wife and ultimately was responsible for his death, David could have said, “I couldn’t help it. I was just overwhelmed with Bathsheba’s beauty.” Even though he was king, he wasn’t exempt from the consequences. His conscience convicted him and he knew that his sin was not only against Bathsheba and her husband, he had sinned against God. “My sin is always before me,” said David, adding, “Against you, you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight…” (Psalm 51:4).
Do you want to silence that voice within which says what you have done is wrong? Then do what David did: First, admit your wrongdoing, then take the second step: Ask God to forgive you. David cried out, “‘O LORD, have mercy on me; heal me, for I have sinned against you” (Psalm 41:4). It takes strength to do that, but with it comes the reward of peace and joy. The New Testament says if we confess our sins, God is faithful and will forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness or wrongdoing (see 1 John 1:9). The word to confess really means to agree. It was the word which you would use when you wanted to match two sticks which were of equal length and size. It means that your heart says, “Yes, God, I agree with your verdict. I sinned.”
It’s also interesting to notice that when David asked for forgiveness, he also asked for healing. Can you relate to that? Frankly, it’s a lot easier to find God’s forgiveness than it is to forgive ourselves and to get on with the process of putting our lives together after a hideous failure. That involves inner healing– which brings us to the third step in the process of restoration: Cooperate with the Lord in bringing healing to your life and the lives of those whom you have hurt. My definition of forgiveness is this: “I give up my right to hurt you because you hurt me.” That process of giving up something means I have to release the bitterness and the pain as well as giving up my hatred of myself, the resentfulness which I feel towards myself because in a moment of weakness or lust, I destroyed what I really love and want. Thank God, David was right: There is forgiveness with God which allows you to forgive yourself as well.
Resource reading: Psalm 41.
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/good-news-forgiveness-2/
"Viewing Guide"
Guided publicity column that was broadcast on January 1, 2017. The pre-broadcasting period mainly broadcasts the previews of the first and second programs on the day and the next day. On July 1, 2022, it became an important part of the channel packaging work of ABS-CBN, aiming to actively promote the spread of the overall image and concept of ABS-CBN, and to cooperate with all major publicity events in the whole station to carry out all-round guide publicity. The main content of this column includes all kinds of overall image propaganda videos of ABS-CBN, as well as medium and long-term propaganda videos and broadcast time reminders of key columns and programs. Broadcast daily on ABS-CBN and Studio 23, with a total length of 40 minutes. On the basis of the total daily broadcast length of 40 minutes, the first set of programs and the second set of programs on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will be broadcast on a rolling basis with a duration of 3 minutes.
ABS-CBN franchise best left to next Congress: House leader
By Filane Mikee Cervantes
The chairperson of the House committee on legislative franchises on Thursday said the issue regarding broadcast giant ABS-CBN's franchise renewal is best left to the next Congress.
Palawan Rep. Franz Alvarez, committee chair, made the statement after Anakalusugan party-list Rep. Mike Defensor asked the House plenary to take up an unresolved bill granting ABS-CBN a provisional franchise.
"Based on my understanding from the House leadership, the ABS-CBN franchise issue is best left to the next Congress," Alvarez said in a statement.
Alvarez said the network's franchise issue was put to rest when his committee rejected the network’s franchise application with a 70-11 vote in July 2020.
"Under the rules, anyone of the 70 House members who voted against the franchise application could file a motion for reconsideration on behalf of ABS-CBN to challenge the decision of the Committee. Unfortunately, there was none, thus the Committee decision has become final," he said.
Alvarez further said House Bill 6732, the measure in question, is already "moot and academic" because the proposed provisional franchise to be granted to ABS-CBN would only be effective until October 31, 2020.
On Jan. 5, Deputy Speaker Vilma Santos-Recto filed House Bill No. 8298 seeking to renew for another 25 years ABS-CBN’s legislative franchise.
To recall, Congress was unable to renew the network’s congressional franchise before its expiration date on May 4, 2020.
ABS-CBN, upon the directive of the National Telecommunications Commission’s (NTC) shutdown order, ceased its broadcast operations on May 5, 2020.
The previous House hearings have exhaustively discussed the network’s franchise issues, including the citizenship of ABS-CBN chair emeritus Gabby Lopez; the possible violation of the constitutional limits on foreign ownership; reported labor and tax violations; and other violations of the terms of its legislative franchise.
The NTC on June 30, 2020 also issued two cease and desist orders, directing ABS-CBN to halt the operation of its digital television transmission using Amcara Broadcasting Corp.’s Channel 43 and the direct-to-home satellite transmission of its cable firm, Sky Cable Corp.
Comelec reusing materials printed for Palawan plebiscite
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has resolved to use in the March 13, 2021 Palawan plebiscite all the accountable and non-accountable forms that were printed for the purpose of the May 11, 2020 Palawan plebiscite that was postponed due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
In Resolution No. 10684, the Comelec said all dates appearing in the printed plebiscite accountable and non-accountable forms as May 11, 2020 shall be read as March 13, 2021.
The poll body said for purposes of uniformity and to avoid confusion, “all other forms that will be printed in the future for purposes of the Palawan plebiscite, shall bear the date May 11, 2020.”
The Comelec originally scheduled the conduct of the plebiscite to ratify the division of the province of Palawan into Palawan del Norte, Palawan Oriental, and Palawan del Sur on May 11, 2020.
This is in accordance to Republic Act No. 11259 which provides that the plebiscite should be held on the second Monday of May 2020.
In April 2020, the Comelec suspended the May 11 plebiscite due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Enhanced Community Quarantine in Luzon.
The en banc agreed with the recommendation of its Law Department that holding of a free and honest plebiscite on May 11, 2020 is impossible at the height of the spread of the COVID-19.
On October 8, 2020, the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) approved the proposal to already hold the plebiscite in Palawan.
The poll body then set the plebiscite to March 13, 2021.
https://mb.com.ph/2021/01/28/comelec-reusing-materials-printed-for-palawan-plebiscite/
ABS-CBN franchise rejection final — House panel chairman
“IT’s final,” a lawmaker at the House of Representatives said on Thursday when asked about the possibility of opening discussions on the franchise of shuttered media network ABS-CBN in the plenary next week.
House Committee on Legislative Franchises Chairman Franz Alvarez said his panel’s decision to reject the fresh grant of a 25-year permit to the network giant was “put to rest when the committee, voting 70-11, rejected the network’s franchise application on July 10, 2020”.
“Under the rules, anyone of the 70 House members who voted against the franchise application could file a motion for reconsideration on behalf of ABS-CBN to challenge the decision of the committee. Unfortunately, there was none, thus the Committee decision has become final,” he said in a statement on Thursday.
The possibility to tackle the ABS-CBN franchise in the plenary emerged when Anakalusugan Rep. Mike Defensor raised a point of order during the House session on Wednesday, asking to resolve the committee report on House Bill (HB) 6732, which seeks to grant a temporary franchise to the network. He said the bill, one of the items listed in the body’s “unfinished business,” must be tackled first before proceeding with the business of the day.
Senior Deputy Majority Leader Jesus Crispin Remulla assured that the plenary would start taking up items in the unfinished business on the resumption of session on Monday next week.
But for Alvarez, HB 6732 is “moot and academic” as it had proposed to grant a provisional franchise up to Oct. 31, 2020.
“Based on my understanding from the House leadership, the ABS-CBN franchise issue is best left to the next Congress,” he said.
STATEMENT OF HOUSE COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATIVE FRANCHISES CHAIR AND PALAWAN 1ST DISTRICT REP. FRANZ ALVAREZ
The ABS-CBN franchise issue was put to rest when the Committee, voting 70-11, rejected the network’s franchise application on July 10, 2020.
Under the rules, anyone of the 70 House members who voted against the franchise application could file a motion for reconsideration on behalf of ABS-CBN to challenge the decision of the Committee. Unfortunately, there was none, thus the Committee decision has become final.
The subject matter of the unfinished business in the plenary is House Bill 6732, which seeks to grant ABS-CBN a provisional franchise effective until October 31, 2020. Obviously, this is already moot and academic.
Based on my understanding from the House leadership, the ABS-CBN franchise issue is best left to the next Congress.
Lorenzana fires military intel chief over false tagging of UP alumni as NPA members
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Thursday fired the deputy chief of staff for intelligence of the Armed Forces of the Philippines over the release of a false list that tagged alumni of the University of the Philippines as members of the New People’s Army (NPA).
In a statement, Lorenzana said he relieved Maj. Gen. Alex Luna from his post effective Thursday due to his "unforgivable lapse."
The list of names of UP alumni who supposedly died or were arrested as NPA members, came from Luna's office, according to Lorenzana.
"His negligence only shows a lackadaisical attitude towards his job resulting to confusion and damage to reputation. We do not take these offenses lightly and I want to hold the people involved accountable," said Lorenzana.
Alumni from the premiere state university slammed the post, saying it stirred misinformation.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) had earlier admitted the mistake, and likewise apologized for posting the now deleted list on its Information Exchange Facebook account.
Marie Lisa Dacanay, president of the Institute for Social Entrepreneurship in Asia, earlier said that the AFP must be held accountable for releasing what she called "false news."
ABS-CBN franchise issue 'best left to next Congress' —House franchise panel chair
The issue of the franchise renewal of broadcast firm ABS-CBN is best addressed in the next Congress, House committee on legislative franchises chair Franz Alvarez said Thursday.
Alvarez made the remark amid new moves to reopen the deliberations on the ABS-CBN franchise renewal bid, and the assertion of Anakalusugan party-list Representative Mike Defensor for the House plenary to take up the "unresolved" measure granting the network a provisional franchise.
"Based on my understanding from the House leadership, the ABS-CBN franchise issue is best left to the next Congress," Alvarez said in a statement to reporters.
According to him, the ABS-CBN franchise issue was put to rest when 70 members of his committee voted to reject the network's franchise renewal bid in July last year.
"Under the rules, anyone of the 70 House members who voted against the franchise application could file a motion for reconsideration on behalf of ABS-CBN to challenge the decision of the Committee," he said.
"Unfortunately, there was none, thus the Committee decision has become final," he added.
Deputy Speaker Vilma Santos-Recto has earlier filed a fresh measure seeking to renew ABS-CBN's franchise for another 25 years after Senate President Vicente Sotto III made a similar move in the Senate.
Santos-Recto's bill has so far been referred to the House committee on legislative franchises.
Meanwhile, Defensor on Wednesday called on the House plenary to take up measures that have yet to be acted upon by the chamber, including the committee report for House Bill 6732 which sought to grant ABS-CBN a provisional franchise until October 31, 2020.
He argued that the committee report has been included in the "unfinished business" of the House for many months already, and the chamber should take this up first before going on with their business for the day.
House Bill 6732 was filed by former Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and seven other lawmakers in May last year to grant ABS-CBN a provisional franchise while the committee on legislative franchises was deliberating on the measures that sought to renew the original franchise of the network for another 25 years.
The measure was approved in the committee level, through the Committee of the Whole, and on second reading on May 13, 2020, eight days after ABS-CBN went off air, but it was later reverted to the plenary to accommodate additional interpellation and amendments from lawmakers.
Cayetano then decided to just consider the proposals to grant a 25-year-franchise to ABS-CBN instead of giving the network a provisional one, leaving House Bill 6732 pending on the floor.
But Alvarez said that since House Bill 6732 sought to grant ABS-CBN a provisional franchise until October 31, 2020 only, this is already "moot and academic."
Nevertheless, the House decided to take up "unfinished business" on Monday next week, to which Defensor agreed.
ABS-CBN's franchise lapsed on May 4, 2020. It went off air the following day after the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) issued a cease and desist order.
The NTC's action was contrary to NTC Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba’s statement before the House of Representatives in March that they would issue a provisional authority to ABS-CBN to allow its continued broadcast operations "based on equity."
The House only decided to start its deliberations on bills seeking ABS-CBN's franchise renewal last March 10 even though these proposals had been pending in Congress since the beginning of the 18th Congress in July 2019.—AOL, GMA News
The damage has been done: Respondents in Dacera case speak up after PNP report
Two respondents in the case related to the death of flight attendant Christine Dacera on Thursday said they want the case to reach a conclusion, saying it has caused damage in their lives.
Gigo De Guzman and Clark Rapinan, who were with Dacera during the New Year's Eve party in a Makati hotel, said they were feeling mixed emotions when the police released its report that Dacera died of natural causes.
The medico legal report from Jan. 11 ruled out homicide, saying Dacera had died of aortic aneurysm, "a medical condition."
"For now, all we want is for it to be over because we’ll move on with our lives. We want to restart it because we don’t even know where to start to build everything that has been damaged," De Guzman told ANC's Headstart.
De Guzman said the incident instilled in him a "fear of even doing the right thing, of trying to help because people will take it out of context, will antagonize you if they want to for their own entertainment."
"The damage has been done on our lives. The stigma, the notoriety, the articles are all over the net, even my mom’s legacy has been tainted already," he said, referring to his mother, famous singer Claire Dela Fuente.
Rapinan also shared that he wants his life to return to normal as this case also affected his family and his job.
"Sirang sira na po 'yung reputation namin, gusto na naming bumalik sa normal ang buhay namin. May mga pamilya din po kami na sobrang naapektuhan. Sobrang naapektuhan 'yung pamilya namin, 'yung trabaho namin. Basically 'yung buhay namin sobrang damaged na, na hindi naming alam paano magsisimula ulit. Sobrang hirap, sana po maawa na kayo sa amin," he said.
(Our reputations have been severely damaged, we want to return to our normal lives. We have families too who were gravely affected. Our families, our jobs were affected. Basically, our lives have been damaged that we don't know how to begin again. It's so difficult, please have mercy on us.)
Dacera, 23, was found unconscious in a bathtub on New Year's Day after a night out with her friends, including De Guzman and Rapinan. Her companions tried to revive her and rushed her to a hospital but was declared dead-on-arrival.
Her mother, Sharon, initially filed a complaint for rape with homicide against 11 respondents.
De Guzman said their group has been trying to understand Sharon Dacera's view of the situation but he hopes the police report "finally clears everything out."
"I hope that you find the peace that you’ve been wanting. And if you have, I hope you can help us find our peace," he said.
'Bakit ngayon?' CBCP says no to Charter change, questions timing
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines on Thursday said it opposes moves to amend the 1987 Constitution at this time, reiterating its previous pastoral statements on charter change that raised suspicions about the timing of the proposal.
Speaking in a press conference following the Philippine bishops’ virtual assembly, CBCP vice president Bishop Pablo David of Caloocan questioned why the efforts are being made to change the Constitution at this time of the pandemic.
The bishops touched on the issue of charter change at the biannual meeting held on January 26-27 and said that their previous statements on the matter still stand.
Bishop David said the CBCP, as a body, has not yet decided if it is issuing a new statement on the matter but may feel the need to issue a new statement depending on the developments. He said the Episcopal Commission on Social Action, Justice and Peace (ECSA-JP) is reiterating the position in a statement.
"We made ourselves very clear especially in the 2018 CBCP pastoral letter on charter change. That’s precisely why we did not yet feel the need to issue a new one because our previous pastoral statement on charter change was just in 2018 and that’s just 3 years ago so it is still very relevant," he said.
“The basic questions are still the same: Bakit ngayon? Why now? Especially the context of pandemic, all the more reason to be suspicious. Why you would be bringing in the agenda of charter change? But our focus and priority should really be the pandemic. And of course the same old issues about, you know the expression, ‘if ain’t broke, why fix?’ What matters most is really to fully implement the Constitution, the 1987 Constitution,” David said.
"These are the things we have said in the previous pastorals about charter change and they are reiterated by the statement made our Episcopal Commission on Social Action, Justice and Peace on charter change.”
CBCP president Archbishop Romulo Valles of Davao agreed it is not yet time for charter change.
“Could I mention two previous documents from the CBCP, of course, with prudent wording, we said, not yet, not this time,” Valles said.
“The statement from the particular commission will stand as of now. We discussed that and we support the statement of that particular commission,” Valles added.
“Yes,” Valles said when asked if the CBCP is still against charter change based on previous statements.
“And we still are,” David seconded.
Issued on January 29, 2018, the CBCP’s Pastoral Guidelines for Discerning the Moral Dimension of the Present-day Moves for Charter Change expressed the bishops’ position on attempts to change the charter.
“(O)ur moral stand was and remains consistent, namely: Amending the fundamental law of the land, so carefully crafted for the common good after years of dictatorship, requires widespread peoples’ participation and consultation, unity of vision, transparency, and relative serenity that allows for rational discussion and debate,” the pastoral statement signed by Valles for the CBCP said.
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/28/21/bakit-ngayon-cbcp-says-no-to-charter-change-questions-timing
House panel chair: ABS-CBN franchise issue ‘best left to the next Congress’
Anakalusugan Representative Mike Defensor, one of ABS-CBN's main accusers, had tried to ask the plenary to act on a 'moot and academic' bill that would have given the network an interim franchise
The chair of the House committee on legislative franchises doused hopes that his panel would reconsider its denial of ABS-CBN’s franchise under the Duterte administration.
“Based on my understanding from the House leadership, the ABS-CBN franchise issue is best left to the next Congress,” Palawan 1st District Representative Franz Alvarez said on Thursday, January 28.
Alvarez made the statement a day after Anakalusugan Representative Mike Defensor – one of the media giant’s main accusers during the franchise hearings last year – asked the plenary to act on pending House Bill (HB) No. 6732 that seeks to give ABS-CBN an interim franchise for 6 months.
Defensor, however, failed to note that HB 6732 seeks to give the now-shutdown ABS-CBN a provisional franchise until October 31, 2020 only.
Even if the House plenary decides to act on this bill, Alvarez said it would already be “moot and academic.”
Deposed House speaker Alan Peter Cayetano had co-authored the interim franchise bill for ABS-CBN, but later decided to drop it so the hearings on the network's main franchise application would resume in the chamber.
Th House committee on legislative franchises then rejected ABS-CBN's bid for a franchise renewal in July 2020 following President Rodrigo Duterte's sustained threats against the network.
Even before the rejection, ABS-CBN was already ordered to cease its television and radio operations when its 25-year-old franchise expired on May 4, 2020.
Legislators denied ABS-CBN’s franchise bid over alleged "numerous violations" – a decision widely condemned as politically motivated under a House dominated by Duterte allies.
Cayetano had defended the closure of ABS-CBN, saying legislators did the country a favor by "reclaiming patrimony from oligarchs."
He was later ousted by his rival, now Speaker Lord Allan Velaco, also an ally of the President.
Earlier this month, House Deputy Speaker Vilma Santos Recto and Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III filed their respective bills giving a fresh franchise to ABS-CBN.
But Alvarez said last year’s decision of the House committee on legislative franchises against the network is already final.
“The ABS-CBN franchise issue was put to rest when the committee, voting 70-11, rejected the network’s franchise application on July 10, 2020,” Alvarez said.
“Under the rules, any one of the 70 House members who voted against the franchise application could file a motion for reconsideration on behalf of ABS-CBN to challenge the decision of the committee. Unfortunately, there was none, thus the committee decision has become final,” he added.
After the closure of its broadcast operations, ABS-CBN focused on its digital and cable businesses. But many Filipinos still do not have access to such technology.
It would keep GMA, IBC, NBC, PTV, RJTV, RPN, SBN, SMNI, TV5, UNTV, and Zoe TV as the sole free-to-air networks.
The closure of the media network denied citizens a reliable source of information while the country is still struggling with the coronavirus pandemic.
House panel’s rejection of ABS-CBN franchise is final, chair says
The rejection of ABS-CBN’s application for a fresh franchise by a House committee is already final as no lawmaker appealed its decision, the panel’s chair said Thursday.
House legislative franchises committee chair Rep. Franz Alvarez (Palawan) said that any of the 70 lawmakers who voted to reject the media giant’s application for a franchise could have filed a motion for reconsideration, but none of them did.
“Thus the committee decision has become final,” Alvarez said, referring to the panel’s July 2020 vote to deny ABS-CBN a new license which led to job losses and an information-gap amid a raging pandemic and numerous calamities.
Alvarez also said that it is already “moot and academic” to take up the ABS-CBN franchise as the bill in the House’s unfinished business only seeks to grant the media giant a franchise until October 31, 2020.
But House records show that the chamber reconsidered on May 18, 2020 the proposal’s approval on second reading and reopened debates on the measure.
Under House Rule X, Section 56, lawmakers may introduce amendments to a measure after debates on it are terminated.
Philstar.com sought further clarification from Alvarez, but he has yet to respond as of writing.
Plenary vote
Alvarez’ statement came after Rep. Michael Defensor (Anakalusugan party-list) attempted Wednesday to bring the committee report on a measure which seeks to grant ABS-CBN a provisional franchise up to a plenary vote.
Defensor contended that the plenary must take this up first before any other measure as it has been in the House’s unfinished business for months. The House rejected Defensor’s argument, but the leadership eventually committed to take up unfinished business beginning Monday.
Lawmakers who want ABS-CBN to be given a fresh franchise have been saying that the plenary could undo the panel’s decision to deny the TV network’s bid for a new license.
It is not clear, however, which way the House would go on the ABS-CBN franchise. Alvarez said he believes that the House leadership would rather let the next Congress decide on the media giant’s fate.
The House is also still dominated by allies of President Rodrigo Duterte, who has vowed to see the end of the TV network after it earned his ire for not airing his campaign advertisement and for supposedly taking sides during the 2016 presidential race.
Speaker Lord Allan Velasco has been silent on the matter, leaving his allies to issue conflicting views on a new franchise for the TV network.
Duterte has also signalled that any company seeking a franchise “won’t see the light of day” unless they pay the right amount of taxes, a remark that MalacaƱang said applies to the shuttered broadcast giant ABS-CBN.
A handful of lawmakers, however, have refiled bills which seek to grant ABS-CBN a new 25-year franchise.
ABS-CBN franchise issue best left to next Congress, says Alvarez
For House of Representatives Committee on Legislative Franchises chairman and Palawan Rep. Franz Alvarez, the issue of ABS-CBN franchise is “best left to the next Congress” based on his understanding from the leadership of the lower chamber.
Alvarez made the remark Thursday as the issue of ABS-CBN franchise re-surfaced following an attempt to take up an unresolved provisional franchise bill for the network to the plenary.
During Wednesday’s session, Anakalusugan party-list Rep. Mike Defensor raised a point of order, pointing out that the committee report on House Bill No. 6732, which seeks to grant ABS-CBN a provisional franchise, is still under the plenary’s “unfinished business” and should be addressed first.
Defensor voted to deny ABS-CBN’s franchise bid.
Alvarez, however, said the bill in question was already “moot and academic” since the provisional franchise proposed in the measure was only effective until October 31, 2020.
“The subject matter of the unfinished business in the plenary is House Bill 6732, which seeks to grant ABS-CBN a provisional franchise effective until October 31, 2020. Obviously, this is already moot and academic,” Alvarez said in a statement.
“Based on my understanding from the House leadership, the ABS-CBN franchise issue is best left to the next Congress,” he added.
Alvarez said the ABS-CBN franchise issue was already “put to rest” when 70 members of the legislative franchises panel voted to deny the network’s bid back in July 2020.
“Under the rules, anyone of the 70 House members who voted against the franchise application could file a motion for reconsideration on behalf of ABS-CBN to challenge the decision of the Committee. Unfortunately, there was none, thus the Committee decision has become final,” Alvarez said.
House Bill No. 6732 was filed by former Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and his allies back in May 2020 amid public clamor for the House to tackle several bills seeking to grant ABS-CBN a 25-year franchise.
When Cayetano filed the provisional franchise bill, the House had yet to set a date for the hearings on ABS-CBN’s franchise bid.
Nonetheless, it would have allowed ABS-CBN to operate at that time even as hearings on its franchise renewal bid were still ongoing.
The bill was approved on second reading, but was later recalled after the House leadership opted to tackle the bills pushing for a 25-year franchise for ABS-CBN, instead of a provisional franchise.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1389285/fwd-alvarez-abs-cbn-franchise-issue-best-left-to-next-congress
Wednesday, January 27, 2021
Kill The Kings In The Cave
Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Colossians 3:12-14
Five kings in a cave! A rather strange place for royalty. It happened years ago; in fact the event took place about 1400 B.C. "That's ancient history," you might say, and I would agree; yet there is a contemporary application. The five kings were enemies of Israel, and Joshua brought them out and executed them as a visual lesson as to what God would do to the rest of their enemies.
I have suggested that there are five enemies of the Christian family that should be treated as summarily as Joshua did those five long ago. These five enemies come crawling out of the caves of our old nature, and have to be met head-on and executed. Dishonesty is the first, followed by deceit. There are three others: Discourtesy, discouragement, and disbelief.
Someone well described courtesy as a series of personal sacrifices. Not bad...a series of personal sacrifices. Tragic, yet true, is the fact that in many homes‑‑ yes, even Christian homes‑‑courtesy stops at the door. Teens who are the epitome of grace and manners when their teachers or friends are involved, think that little brothers and sisters are not deserving of the same consideration. They call them names‑‑they yell at them. They use sarcasm to cut each other down. And where did they learn it? Without realizing it, they picked up the habit from parents, who by their actions have shown them that a family is a special breed‑‑the kind that is not deserving of common courtesies.
Years ago the Apostle Paul penned a letter to families. You critics may say, "No, he wrote to a church." But forgotten is the fact that a church is merely a group of families. To the families in the church at Colosse Paul wrote these words, "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity" (Colossians 3:12-14). Paul had to be thinking of families when he wrote those words because he followed them with specific instructions to wives, husbands, and children. And there you have the components of a family. Courtesy is no less than a series of personal sacrifices. Instead of "me first!" it is the other first, and your personal ambitions and desires take second place. The next time you are tempted to set courtesy aside, do not forget that all it takes to learn courtesy is for you to be willing to set your own rights aside just once in a series of personal sacrifices.
There is another enemy of good family relations that should be met and dispatched. It is discouragement. Webster defines it as "that which causes one to lose heart," and it always precedes the collapse of a marriage. One event leads to another and another, and soon you begin to think, "What is the use, anyway?" Actors and actresses are among those who have the greatest percentage of marriage failure in the world. When actor Robert Mitchum celebrated his 30th anniversary a friend asked how he could make it when most of his friends had been married and divorced many times around. Mitchum replied, "Mutual forbearance. We have each continued to believe that the other will do better tomorrow."
Resource reading: Joshua 10:29-43
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/kill-the-kings-in-the-cave/
Senate OKs bill redistricting Rizal on 2nd reading
The Senate on Wednesday approved on second reading a bill dividing the current first and second legislative districts of Rizal province into four.
Under House Bill No. 6222, sponsored by Senator Francis Tolentino, the following areas will be under the fourth legislative district of the province:
- Cardona
- Baras
- Tanay
- Morong
- Jala-Jala
- Pililia
- Teresa
The municipalities of Rodriguez and San Mateo will be considered as the 1st district, the municipality of Taytay as the 2nd district and the municipalities of Angono and Binangonan as the 3rd district.
The House of Representatives approved the measure in June 2020.
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/regions/773547/senate-oks-bill-redistricting-rizal-on-2nd-reading/story/?just_in
Defensor wants House plenary to take up ‘unresolved’ ABS-CBN provisional franchise bill
Anakalusugan party-list Representative Mike Defensor on Wednesday called on the House of Representatives to take up measures that have yet to be acted upon by the chamber, including the one that sought to grant ABS-CBN a provisional franchise.
During the chamber's plenary session this afternoon, Defensor stood up and manifested that the committee report on House Bill 6732, which grants ABS-CBN a franchise to operate until October 31 last year, has been languishing on the floor for many months already.
The said committee report has been included in the "unfinished business" of the House, and Defensor argued that the chamber should take up these matters first before going on with their business for the day.
"Mr. Speaker, I would like to raise a point of order that the unfinished business of the ABS-CBN franchise be decided first before we take up any issue in plenary," Defensor said.
"Malinaw na malinaw na nakasaad sa calendar of business natin na bago pag-usapan ang business of the day, bago pag-usapan ang anumang debate sa anumang batas ay tapusin muna natin ang consideration ng mga items o mga batas sa ilalim ng unfinished business," he added.
House Bill 6732 was filed by former Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and seven other lawmakers in May last year to grant ABS-CBN a provisional franchise while the Committee on Legislative Franchises was deliberating on the measures that sought to renew the original franchise of the network for another 25 years.
The measure was approved in the committee level, through the Committee of the Whole, and on second reading on May 13, 2020, eight days after ABS-CBN went off air, but it was later reverted to the plenary to accommodate additional interpellation and amendments from lawmakers.
Cayetano then decided to just consider the proposals to grant a 25-year-franchise to ABS-CBN instead of giving the network a provisional one, leaving House Bill 6732 pending on the floor.
The House franchise panel later rejected the franchise renewal bid after a lengthy series of hearings.
Responding to Defensor's point of order, Deputy Majority Leader Mikey Arroyo said what the plenary was deliberating were businesses for Thursday and Friday based on the motion of Acting Deputy Majority Leader Xavier Jesus Romualdo.
Arroyo added that no House member objected when Romualdo made his motion, allowing the plenary to proceed to discuss matters for Thursday and Friday.
Defensor objected and said that in the order of motions in the chamber, the "point of order" is of the highest hierarchy.
"I assert that the committee report conducted by the Committee of the Whole has been submitted for the longest time. Nandito na sa atin yan, the unfinished business of the ABS-CBN franchise," he said.
"And I'm calling that we either affirm the committee report and do away with that unfinished business before we continue with the other businesses of the day that we are considering as a plenary," he added.
Deputy Speaker Isidro Ungab, who was the presiding officer that time, turned down Defensor's point of order as he affirmed Arroyo's explanation.
Defensor, nevertheless, appealed the Ungab's decision, and after a discussion among lawmakers during a suspension of the session, the chamber decided to take up unfinished business on Monday next week.
"It was already agreed upon with the Hon. Defensor that the assurance of the distinguished deputy majority leader is official: that we will take up items in the unfinished business by Monday. We will start taking them up," said Senior Deputy Majority Leader Jesus Crispin Remulla, who took over the majority floor leadership.
It is unclear at this point, however, how the chamber will act upon the committee report on House Bill 6732, since its original intention was to grant ABS-CBN a provisional franchise until October 31, 2020 only.
GMA News Online reached out to Deputy Speaker Rufus Rodriguez on this matter, but he said he would have to study it first.
Deputy Speaker Vilma Santos has already filed a fresh measure seeking to renew ABS-CBN's franchise for another 25 years.
The measure has so far been referred to the Committee on Legislative Franchises. — BM, GMA News
Rep. Defensor wants House to resolve pending ABS-CBN provisional franchise bill
The House of Representatives should first decide on the bill seeking to grant media giant ABS-CBN a provisional franchise—which has been on the plenary’s “unfinished business” for months—before discussing other measures, Anakalusugan Partylist Rep. Mike Defensor said Wednesday.
During Wednesday’s session, Defensor raised a point of order, pointing out that the committee report on House Bill No. 6732, which seeks to grant ABS-CBN a provisional franchise, is still under the plenary’s “unfinished business” and should be tackled first.
Defensor, who voted against giving ABS-CBN a 25-year franchise, was referring to the bill previously filed by former House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and his allies back in May 2020, granting the network a franchise to operate until October 31, 2020.
“Bago tayo magkaroon ng konsiderasyon for the business of the day o ‘yung pag-uusap ng mga batas na kailangan nating pag-usapan ngayon, I would like to raise a point of order that the unfinished business of the ABS-CBN franchise be decided first before we take up any issue in plenary, unless there will be a debate on the rules at kung ano ang tamang gawin,” Defensor said.
(Before we consider the business of the day, or the measures that we have to tackle now, I would like to like to raise a point of order that the unfinished business of the ABS-CBN franchise be decided first before we take up any issue in plenary, unless there will be a debate on the rules.)
“Pero malinaw na malinaw na nakasaad sa calendar of business natin na bago pag-usapan ang business of the day, bago pag-usapan ang anumang debate sa anumang batas ay tapusin muna natin ang consideration ng mga items o mga batas sa ilalim ng unfinished business,” the lawmaker added.
(But it is clear that it is stated in our calendar of business that before we tackle the business of the day, before we have any debates on whichever measure, we need to address first the items under the unfinished business.)
However, House Deputy Majority Leader Juan Miguel Arroyo said that Deputy Majority Leader Xavier Jesus Romualdo had already moved to tackle business for Thursday and Friday.
Arroyo said that no one objected to Romualdo’s motion before it was approved.
Defensor, nonetheless, argued that since the ABS-CBN provisional franchise bill is under unfinished business, it should be tackled before the plenary takes up other measures.
“What we have here is an unfinished business. Itong ginagawa natng pagde-debate sa mahabang panahon, marami nang naging batas na na-aprubahan pero itong unfinished business ay patuloy pa rin na nandyan sa unfinished business,” Defensor said.
(What we have here is an unfinished business. We have approved a number of measures yet the items under the unfinished business are still there as unfinished business.)
“And therefore, before tackling any other issue, before entertaining any other motion, bago pag-usapan kung anumang batas o kung anumang mosyon ay kailangan sanang matapos muna natin yung ating pag-uusap [sa unfinished business],” he added.
(Therefore, before tackling any other issue, before entertaining any other motion, and before we discuss measures, we should finish first our debates on the unfinished business.)
Deputy Speaker Isidro Ungab, who was presiding over the session, ruled against Defensor’s point of order, saying that Arroyo’s explanation was sustained.
Defensor appealed Ungab’s decision, which led to a brief suspension of the session.
When the session resumed, Senior Deputy Majority Leader Jesus Crispin Remulla said it has been agreed upon that the bills under unfinished business will be tackled by Monday next week, February 1.
“It was already agreed upon with the Honorable Defensor that the assurance of the distinguished deputy majority leader is official—that we will take up items in the unfinished business—by Monday, we will start taking them up,” Remulla said.
But does any of this matter?
As stated, House Bill No. 6732, the measure that Defensor was seeking to get resolved, only grants ABS-CBN a provisional franchise effective until October 31, 2020. This means that the proposed franchise has already expired nearly three months ago.
Asked for a comment, Deputy Speaker Rufus Rodriguez told INQUIRER.net that he still needs to study the issue of mootness of the measure.
Cayetano filed the measure back in May 2020 amid public clamor for the House to tackle several bills seeking to grant ABS-CBN a 25-year franchise.
When Cayetano filed the provisional franchise bill, the House had yet to set a date for the hearings on ABS-CBN’s franchise bid.
However, it would have allowed ABS-CBN to operate at that time even as hearings on its franchise renewal bid were still ongoing.
“Providing ABS-CBN with a provisional franchise valid until 31 October 2020 will give both the House of Representatives and the Senate to hear the issues being raised for and against the renewal, and assess, with complete impartiality and fairness, whether or not the network shall be granted a franchise for another twenty-five (25) years,” Cayetano said in the bill’s explanatory note.
On May 13 last year, the House convened into a Committee of the Whole to fast-track the approval of the ABS-CBN provisional franchise bill. The measure was even approved on second reading the very same day.
However, on May 18, the House recalled the second reading approval of the ABS-CBN provisional franchise bill. House leaders said several lawmakers still wanted to interpellate and introduce amendments to the measure.
The next day, May 19, Cayetano announced that there will no longer be a provisional franchise for ABS-CBN as the House leadership decided to instead push through with deliberations in the committee on legislative franchise.
Less than two months later, 70 lawmakers in the House committee on legislative franchise voted to deny ABS-CBN’s franchise bid.
INQUIRER.net has reached out to Defensor and other House leaders for further comments on this story.
House may vote on ABS-CBN franchise in plenary next week
The House of Representatives may finally vote on ABS-CBN’s franchise in plenary, six months after a House panel rejected the media giant’s bid for a fresh 25-year franchise.
House leaders committed during Wednesday’s session to tackle the chamber’s unfinished business beginning Monday, which includes the committee report on the rejection of ABS-CBN’s application for a new franchise.
This was after Rep. Michael Defensor (Anakalusugan party-list), who was among the lawmakers who led the charge against the TV network, attempted to bring out the committee report to the plenary by arguing that the House’s unfinished business must be tackled first before any other matter.
“We either affirm the committee report and do away with that unfinished business before we continue with the other businesses of the day that we are considering as the plenary,” Defensor said.
The House initially rejected Defensor’s contention, but eventually lawmakers came to a compromise with a commitment from Senior Deputy Majority Leader Jesus Crispin Remulla (Cavite) that the unfinished business will be tackled beginning Monday.
What does this mean?
This would pave the way for the entire House to decide on the fate of ABS-CBN’s franchise, which was rejected by the chamber’s committee on franchises in July 2020.
If brought to plenary, the House could either affirm or reject the decision of the panel that voted 70-11 in favor of denying ABS-CBN a new franchise, despite government agencies clearing the media giant of any wrongdoing.
Lawmakers who want ABS-CBN to be given a fresh franchise have been saying that the plenary could undo the panel’s decision to deny the TV network’s bid for a new license.
“I believe it can be pulled out by the plenary now and reconsidered in the new leadership we have now,” House Deputy Speaker Lito Atienza told ANC’s “Headstart” on January 6. “Plenary overrules the committee and the plenary prevails.”
It is not clear, however, which way the House would go on the ABS-CBN franchise. It is still dominated by allies of President Rodrigo Duterte, who has vowed to see the end of the TV network after it earned his ire for not airing his campaign advertisement and for supposedly taking sides during the 2016 presidential race.
Speaker Lord Allan Velasco has been silent on the matter, leaving his allies to issue conflicting views on a new franchise for the TV network.
Duterte has also signalled that any company seeking a franchise “won’t see the light of day” unless they pay the right amount of taxes, a remark that MalacaƱang said applies to the shuttered broadcast giant ABS-CBN.
A handful of lawmakers, however, have refiled bills which seek to grant ABS-CBN a new 25-year franchise.
The House committee on franchises’ decision to kill the franchise of the network led to massive layoffs in the Lopez-owned media giant and resulted in an information-gap in far-flung areas which had only been reached by ABS-CBN’s regional bureaus which also had to shutter.
The country would keep GMA, IBC, PTV and TV5 as the sole TV network.
Vergeire cites types of allergies that may prohibit one from taking COVID-19 vaccine
The Department of Health on Wednesday explained that people with food allergies can still take COVID-19 vaccines as long as they get clearance from their doctors.
This following reports of alleged allergic reactions to vaccines like Pfizer's. Pfizer already advised authorities not to give the vaccine to those with severe allergic reactions.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire explained that this refers to anaphylactic shock or an allergic reaction that causes difficulty in breathing, increased heart rate and a swollen throat that may block airways.
“Yun po talagang main contraindication ng bakuna ay severe allergic reaction. Ibig sabihin po, kapag kayo ay nabigyan ng bakuna in the past o kaya sa component ng bakunang ito ay maaaring magkaroon ng severe allergic reaction,” she said during a Laging Handa briefing.
(The main contraindication for the vaccine is severe allergic reaction. This means that if you were given a vaccine in the past or a component of the vaccine may cause you severe allergic reaction.)
Vergeire said those with allergies to polyethylene glycol, one of the components of Pfizer’s vaccine, should also avoid the vaccine.
Vergeire on allergic reactions to COVID vaccines: Yun po talagang main contraindication ng bakuna ay severe allergic reaction...kapag kayo ay nabigyan ng bakuna in the past o kaya sa component ng bakunang ito ay maaaring magkaroon ng severe allergic reaction @ABSCBNNews
— Kristine Sabillo šµš (@kristinesabillo) January 27, 2021
Those with allergies to food and drugs may simply ask for an assessment or a certification from their doctor that they can receive the vaccine, she added.
Another DOH official said that allergy tests are not usually required for vaccinations, but they may release specific guidelines for each vaccine. Recipients are also asked to stay at the vaccination site for up to 1 hour later for observation.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said during a televised event in Taguig that health workers are ready for adverse events, and that ambulances and referral hospitals will be on standby.
Besides Pfizer, there have also been reports of possible allergic reactions to Moderna’s vaccine, which also uses the new RNA-based type vaccines. Both vaccines have reported high efficacy rates of around 95%, although their cold storage requirements are challenging for some countries.
The Philippines will gets its first batch of around 1 million COVID-19 vaccine shots next month, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez, Jr. said.
Galvez said he was negotiating with pharmaceutical firms to get 200,000 to 500,000 doses from UK's AstraZeneca for health workers, 500,000 jabs from Chinese firm Sinovac, and an unspecified number of shots from Pfizer.
The Philippine government aims to vaccinate up 70 million people against the new coronavirus this year to achieve herd immunity.
It is working to lock in 148 million doses from 7 vaccine makers, on top of 40 million shots that will come from the Covax Facility, a global initiative that aims to ensure equitable access to the vaccines, said Galvez.
The Philippines has logged 516,166 confirmed COVID-19 cases, as of Tuesday, including 30,357 active infections, 10,386 deaths, and 475,423 recoveries.
The tally includes 17 cases of the new, more transmissible variant first detected late last year in the United Kingdom.
Several other countries, including immediate neighbors of the Philippines, have already started their respective vaccination programs.
PMFTC sets merger with Philip Morris PH
The group of Lucio Tan and Philip Morris Philippines Manufacturing, Inc. are simplifying the structure of their cigarette partnership by folding joint assets into PMFTC Inc., the country’s leading tobacco manufacturer and distributor.
Conglomerate LT Group Inc. disclosed to the Philippine Stock Exchange on Monday that PMFTC Inc., which the group indirectly owns through Fortune Tobacco Corp., has obtained board approval to merge with Philip Morris Philippines Manufacturing, Inc.
PMFTC would be the surviving corporation effective June 1, albeit subject to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s approval, the disclosure said.
“The merger is part of an internal restructuring process and is not expected to materially affect the operations, earnings, and ownership of PMFTC,” the disclosure said.
PMFTC’s articles of incorporation would be amended by the articles of merger and plan of merger.
LTG conducts its tobacco business through its 99.6 percent ownership in Fortune Tobacco, which in turn owns 49.6 percent of PMFTC. The latter had an estimated 70.5 percent market share of the local tobacco market in 2019.
Incorporated in 1965, Fortune Tobacco introduced the most successful local cigarette brands in the Philippines, including the Fortune, Champion, and Hope menthol brands. Before the creation of PMFTC, it held the largest domestic tobacco business in the Philippines.
In 2010, Fortune Tobacco and Philip Morris combined their respective domestic business operations by transferring selected assets and liabilities to PMFTC. The establishment of PMFTC allowed both groups to benefit from their respective, complementary brand portfolios as well as cost synergies.
Within LTG, the tobacco segment posted a net income of P12.2 billion for the nine months of 2020, higher than the P9.6-billion bottom line in the same period the previous year. This is due to the increase in equity in net earnings from PMFTC to P12.2 billion during the period in review. —DORIS DUMLAO-ABADILLA INQ
https://business.inquirer.net/316425/pmftc-sets-merger-with-philip-morris-ph
GMA Network reports over 98% TV household coverage
GMA NETWORK, Inc. said it now covers more than 98% of television households with around 84 million viewers nationwide.
“In both total Luzon and total Visayas, GMA’s net reach was similarly at 98.6% of TV households, while posting 49.8% and 47.7% people audience shares, respectively,” the listed media company said in an e-mailed statement on Monday. “In total Mindanao, GMA was able to reach 97.9% of TV households with 42.2% people audience share.”
The network cited Nielsen Philippines TV Audience Measurement’s total Philippines data for 2020, from Jan. 1 to Dec. 26.
In December 2019, ABS-CBN Corp. reported, citing data from Kantar Media, that its nationwide TV audience share stood at 42% as of November, versus GMA’s 30%.
But GMA said it started “strong” in 2020.
“For the period January to May 5, GMA was already ahead of ABS-CBN in terms of both reach and viewership before the latter went off air in May. GMA registered over 95% household reach and was also on top with its 33.1% people audience share during the said period,” it explained.
This year, GMA plans to launch its digital TV mobile receiver GMA Now.
Also on Monday, GMA reported it already sold 1 million units of its digital terrestrial television (DTT) receiver “GMA Affordabox.”
“As GMA Network expands its digital broadcast coverage, more and more Filipinos are able to use GMA Affordabox,” it said.
“Recently, Misamis Oriental (including Cagayan de Oro City) and Camiguin were added to its coverage areas. It is also available in selected towns/cities within Metro Manila, Benguet, La Union, Pangasinan, Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Quezon, Rizal, Bohol, Cebu, Leyte, Davao de Oro, Davao del Sur, and Davao del Norte,” it added.
The company has allocated more than P20 billion for capital expenditures (capex) and content cost for the current year until 2023.
A big portion of the budget is allocated for content production and post-production.
The media giant had set aside a capex of P1.22 billion last year.
The listed company recently reported an attributable net income of P3.90 billion for the January to September 2020 period, up 79.03% from the previous year’s P2.18 billion.
It saw its total revenue grow 3.59% to P12.66 billion during the same period in 2020, from P12.22 billion in 2019.
GMA Network shares closed 1.84% lower at P5.88 apiece on Tuesday. — Arjay L. Balinbin
https://www.bworldonline.com/gma-network-reports-over-98-tv-household-coverage/
Will Pres. Rodrigo Duterte finally allow an ABS-CBN franchise?
The government’s tax bureau BIR and the state-owned bank DBP have already cleared ABS-CBN of any obligations.
President Rodrigo Duterte has been the biggest hurdle for the renewal of ABS-CBN broadcast franchise.
As early as 2017, Duterte has been at the forefront of attacks against the network publicly declaring his opposition to the renewal of the Kapamilya network’s franchise.
A few months into his presidency, Duterte immediately launched the attack against ABS-CBN and the Lopezes whom he accused of swindling him.
Durterte alleged that ABS-CBN did not air a paid political advertisement during his Presidential campaign.
“If ganoon ka kaano, you’re engaged in swindling for all we know ilang kompanya dito na hindi n’yo pinalabas. If you operate, ABS-CBN, tapos manloloko lang kayo ng tao, mag-swindling kayo, I have to stop you, ‘di ba?” Duterte said in April 2017.
ABS-CBN however during the franchise hearing said that they did not deliberately refuse the ad, but there were really no more spots available thus it wasn’t aired.
“Our policy on all our ads is first-come, first-served. Many of these spots were ordered on May 3, and May 7 was the last day of the campaign period. There had been many previous telecast orders that came in ahead,” said ABS-CBN President and CEO Carlo Katigbak.
Katigbak also clarified that the majority of the payment was already returned to Duterte’s camp but there were a few million which got delayed that the Duterte camp refused to accept.
Duterte also attacked ABS-CBN using the issue on the Lopez Group’s DBP loans. According to Duterte, ABS-CBN did not pay a single centavo to the government which has since become DDS’s propaganda in pounding ABS-CBN during the height of the franchise renewal hearing.
“The Lopez Group of Companies never paid a single centavo. It was condoned by the government. Who condoned it, who authorized it, I really don’t know, but maybe one of these days I’ll start to dig,” Duterte said in front of new government appointees,” Duterte said in September 2019
In his latest pronouncements, Duterte still insisted on the issue saying he will never implement any franchise if the company will not pay its dues to the government.
“For all I care, you can have a 1,000 franchise, you will not see the light of day until you come to government with clean hands. Wala akong galit, bayaran mo lang ang gobyerno, sasaludo ako sa inyo limang beses,” he said.
However, the government’s tax bureau BIR and the state-owned bank DBP have already cleared ABS-CBN of any obligations.
“ABS-CBN Corporation ay regularly paying taxes for the past years. Na-check naman po na ‘yung dapat nilang i-withhold at na-remit naman nila sa gobyerno,” Mapoy said during the hearing.
“From 2003 to 2019, ABS-CBN as a group paid P71.5 billion in taxes,” Mapoy added.
Meanwhile, DBP also recently cleared the Lopez Group of any liability. According to DBP Vice President Soraya Adiong, the questioned loan has been audited by the COA and there were no findings of irregularity.
“It was audited by the Commission on Audit and in the annual audit report, there was no finding of irregularity,” said DBP Senior Vice President Soraya Adiong.
“As soon as the accounts were transferred to the SPV (special purpose vehicles) DBP no longer had any transaction, at least with respect to those four loan accounts,” Adiong added.
DBP President Emmanuel Herbosa on the other hand also clarified that the controversial loan was not condoned or written off but was instead sold to Lehman Brothers as per Republic Act No. 9182 or the SPV (Special Purpose Vehicle) Act of 2002.
“These NPLs (non-performing loans) and NPAs (non-performing assets) were dealt with in the regular course of business and disposed of by DBP pursuant to Republic Act No. 9182, entitled The Special Purpose Vehicles Act of 2002, as amended by RA No. 9343 and other applicable laws, which authorized financial institutions, like DBP to transfer NPLs and NPAs to SPVs (special purpose vehicles) created under the Act.
“The law provided the avenue for Philippine banks to dispose [of] non-performing assets to be more liquid…. It’s not a loan condonation, we sold it with a P3.83-billion bid in favor of DBP,” said Herbosa.
With these clarifications from several government agencies regarding ABS-CBN and the Lopez Group, will Duterte finally stop his tirade against the network or will he bring up another issue to justify his opposition to an ABS-CBN comeback?
https://www.lionheartv.net/2021/01/will-pres-rodrigo-duterte-finally-allow-an-abs-cbn-franchise/