Blocktime radioman shot dead in CDO

By Nef Luczon

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—A radio commentator was killed by unidentified assailants Wednesday morning, police said.

The Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (COCPO) said Federico “Deng” Gempesaw was shot to death by an assailant who approached him outside his home in Sitio Macanhan, Barangay Carmen here.

Maj. Mario Mantala, COCPO Station 4 chief, said investigators found Gempesaw's body on a roadside between a parked taxi and pick-up truck.

Citing a witness, Mantala said the assailant wore a brown shirt, a black cap, and a face mask, who fled the scene on a motorcycle driven by another suspect.

Mantala said Gempesaw tried to seize the assailant's firearm despite being wounded, but the gunman shot the victim on the head, causing the latter to fall into a canal.

Gempesaw's children brought the body from the canal to the roadside before the police arrived, he said.

Prior to working as a radio commentator, Gempesaw held was the head of the City Economic Enterprises Department during the time of former mayor Vicente Emano.

Ronald Rufin, manager of the radio station where he worked, said Gempesaw was a blocktime commentator since 2019 but became a regular program anchor after the 2022 elections.

“He handled the regular program here (in the station) because of his issue-based and constructive commentaries, which I think I won't get in trouble with KBP (Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas) rules. He is also a licensed KBP anchor,” Rufin said.

Authorities are still investigating the incident.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1177848

4 bills granting, renewing franchise of telcos lapse into laws

By Azer Parrocha

Four bills granting or renewing the franchise of telecommunications companies have lapsed into law.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte allowed the measures to lapse on May 27, 2022, sans his signature.

Republic Acts (RA) No. 11773, 11774, 11801 renew for another 25 years the franchises granted to Panay Telephone Corporation, Calapan Telephone System, Inc., and Victorias Telephone System, Inc., respectively.

RA 11775 grants the estate of Mr. Amado L. Ola, OPC, doing business as Amapola Broadcasting System, a franchise to construct, install, establish, operate, and maintain radio and television broadcasting stations in the Philippines.

All laws require the grantees to secure from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) a certificate of public convenience and necessity or the appropriate permits and licenses.

"In case of any violation of the provisions of this franchise, the NTC shall have the authority to revoke or suspend, after due process, the permits or licenses it issued pursuant to the franchise. The NTC may recommend to Congress the revocation of the franchise for any violation of the provisions of this franchise," the laws read.

Under the laws, the grantees must “conform to the ethics of honest enterprise and not use its stations or facilities for obscene or indecent transmission, or for dissemination of deliberately false information, or willful misrepresentation, or assist in subversive or treasonable acts.”

The laws also give the President of the Philippines a special right to temporarily take over and operate the stations, transmitters, facilities, or equipment of the grantees “in times of war, rebellion, public peril, calamity, emergency, disaster, or disturbance of peace and order.”

Grantees must also submit an annual report on their compliance with the terms and conditions of the franchise and on its operations to the Congress through the committee on legislative franchises of the House of Representatives and the committee on public services of the Senate on or before April 30 of every year during the term of its franchise.

Failure to submit the annual report to Congress will be penalized with a fine of PHP1 million for each working day of noncompliance.

Renaming roads

Meanwhile, Duterte also allowed two measures renaming roads to lapse into law on May 29, 2022 without his signature.

RA 11797 renames the Bogo-Curva-Medellin-Daanbantayan-Maya Road, stretching from Barangay Don Pedro Rodriguez in the City of Bogo, as Juan Macaraeg Highway.

RA 11798 renames the Marawi City-Kapai-Tagoloan II in Lanao del Sur Road, stretching from Barangay Banggolo Poblacion in the City of Marawi as Senator Ahmad Domocao Alangadi Alonto Sr. National Road.

The Department of Public Works and Highways must issue the necessary rules, orders, and circulars to implement the provisions of the laws within 60 days from effectivity.

Separating, converting schools

Five laws separating and converting schools also lapsed into law on May 29, 2022.

RA 11793 separates the Rodolfo V. Pamor Jr. Memorial National High School-Sagñay Southeastern High School Annex in Barangay Turague, Municipality of Sagñay, Province of Camarines Sur from the Rodolfo V. Pamor Jr. Memorial High School and converted into an independent national high school to be known as Turague National High School.

RA 11794 separates the Dulop National High School-Bag-ong Valencia Extension in Barangay Bag-ong Valencia, Municipality of Dumingag, Province of Zamboanga del Sur from the Dulop National High School and converted into an independent national high school to be known as the Bag-ong Valencia Agricultural National High School.

RA 11795 separates the Datu Danwata Elementary School-Agik-ik Extension in Barangay Datu Danwata, Municipality of Malita, Province of Davao Occidental from the Datu Danwata Elementary School and converted into an independent elementary school to be known as the Agik-ik Elementary School.

RA 11796 separates the Datu Danwata Elementary School-TFS of Balis Extension in Barangay Datu Danwata, Municipality of Malita, Province of Davao Occidental from the Datu Danwata Elementary School and converted into an independent elementary school to be known as the Balis Elementary School.

RA 11824 converts the Kinangan Elementary School in Barangay Kinangan, Municipality of Malita, Province of Davao Occidental into an integrated school to be known as Kinangan Integrated School.

The Department of Education Secretary must promulgate the rules and regulations implementing the provisions of the laws within 60 days after the approval of the laws.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1177775

The comeback of the Multiply social media platform after the nine year blog portal shutdown

About Multiply: Multiply, Inc. is one of the world’s preeminent Social Shopping and Media Sharing companies and operates the largest online marketplace in the Philippines. With over 70,000 storefronts, and 20 million monthly unique users, Multiply is a fast-growing environment, and the company to watch in the Philippines.

The Multiply social media platform would be reopened soon, with job hiring, the groundbreaking and opening of a new Philippine headquarters with the data center, and start to recover and retrieve all blogs, photos, and videos from 2004 to 2013. Under CEO and owner Stefan Magdalinski, the website would reopen for former users and start downloading blogs, photos, and videos.

In 2022, following the presidential elections and following his own inauguration, Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. would re-establish and reopen the former social media platform and social shopping site Multiply. The legal name of the company would be called Multiply, Inc. based in Boca Raton, Florida, U.S.A., and local subsidiaries or units Multiply Philippines, Inc. based in Pasig City, the Philippines, and PT Multiply Indonesia based in Jakarta, Indonesia, the primary purpose of the company is the world’s preeminent Media Sharing company and operates the largest online marketplace in the Philippines.

On August 19, 2022, it finally agreed on the social networking portion of Multiply. According to Magdalinski, it has decided to reopen the website along with all business operations, the Multiply International site, and the social networking portion including 11 million users with hosted blogs, videos, photos, and messaging. It is set to sign the final agreement on August 31, according to Mon Jocson of UNTV.

On September 28, 2022, it forged a consensus with shareholders on the social networking portion of Multiply.

Prosus N.V. is set to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to finalize the agreement.

The website which has photos, videos, and blog entries from March 2004 to March 2013, will provide features similar to Facebook Live and Instagram.

Getting all parties to agree was among the targets set by CEO Magdalinski within the first 100 days in office of the new presidency, and it involved engaging all shareholders in meetings in order to reach a consensus.

Magdalinski, along with Multiply founder Pezaris and former country manager for the Philippines Jack Madrid will sign a term sheet for the Multiply social network ending a 9-year closure of the website.

With the planned reopening of Multiply is a social networking service website and application, Multiply Media LLC will cease to exist.

But it was restarted operating the website after the end of the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte on October 8, 2022, the only social networking site to do so. Technology bloggers said that Multiply to re-establish itself as a social networking site and restart operating after the end of the Duterte administration.

The resolution of the nine-year closure of the E-commerce marketplace Multiply, along with all business operations, the Multiply International site, and the social networking portion including 11 million users with hosted blogs, videos, photos, and messaging for the first 100 days of the Marcos, Jr. administration.

"When the Marcos, Jr. administration took office on June 30, 2022, We were greeted with numerous long-standing issues that have tormented the country for years, and even decades. I remember fully well when we were only starting to take on the challenge five (5) years ago. The Filipino people have pinned their hopes on the new administration – with eyes intently and critically watching us on what we would do next? It enumerated the real issues before such as the controversial non-renewal of the franchise of ABS-CBN and the shutdown of E-commerce marketplace Multiply"

Poe, chairperson of the Senate committee on public services, will hold a public hearing on February 13, 2023, on the reopening of the social networking site Multiply.

The hearing will be held at noon in the Laurel Room, Philippine Senate.

The committee has invited Magdalinski, Pezaris, Madrid, and concerned shareholders of the website.

Magdalinski quoted in his post: "Hope. Finally, we will 1 day be back online. Finally, we will re-open Multiply. Finally, we will 1 day start our 20th year!"

According to Isel Ramos: "Multiply is renovating and it will re-open in the next several months as an archive photo and video site with a new mobile application on Android and Apple IOS."

"There is no quibbling around it: one of the original sins of the previous administration has been the cancelation of the planned feature of Enchong Dee in UAAP Magazine"