August 23-25, 2017 Volume 27 - No. 68 ⢠3 Sections - 24 Pages
DATELINE
USA
FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA
PH Immigration to deport nabbed American pedophile
Palace: US aid conditions should be aligned with Duterte adminâs agenda by DANA
SIOSON AJPress
2018. âWe acknowledge and welcome the decision of the United MANILA - Any conditions States Millennium Challenge on assistance the Philippines Corp to extend assistance to the may receive from a foreign aid Philippines after the first grant agency must be aligned with ended in May 2016,â Duterteâs the policies of President Ro- spokesperson Ernesto Abella drigo Duterteâs administration, said. a Palace official said. MCC said it will assess a MalacaĂąang issued the state- countryâs eligibility for the ment on Sunday, August 20 grant based on criteria such after Washington-based Millen- as the countryâs demonstrated nium Challenge Corp. (MCC) commitment to just and demoannounced that the Philippines cratic governance, economic is among the candidate coun- freedom, and investments in its tries to receive assistance for people. Inquirer.net photo
THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) is already preparing the deportation of an American pedophile arrested in Pampanga during the weekend. Ronald Omar Pelletier, 70, was arrested Saturday at his home along Paulette Street, Josefa Subdivision, Brgy. Malabanias, Angeles City. He was arrested by members of the Fugitive Search Unit. BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said Pelletier has been wanted by federal authorities
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For Covered California, uncertainty is the new certainty SACRAM E N T O â Covered Californiaâs board made several multimillion-dollar decisions Thursday, all addressing one unsettling theme: uncertainty. Over and over, board Covered California Executive Director m e m b e r s Peter Lee Photo by Max Whittaker blamed âuncertaintyâ at the federal level for interfering with their ability to finalize premiums for 2018 and prepare consumers for open enrollment, which begins Nov. 1. In response to that uncertainty, the board agreed to delay a critical decision on 2018 rate hikes, boost Covered Californiaâs marketing budget by more than $5 million and allow its participating insurers to make higher profits in the future â under certain circumstances. âThe lack of clarity and direction at the federal level continues to be a challenge,â said Covered California Executive Director Peter Lee. âWhile we are doing our best to manage a difficult situation, we hope Congress and the administration will provide clear guidance on how [they intend] to stabilize the individual insurance market.â One of the most pressing questions facing Covered California and other Obamacare exchanges
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MalacaĂąang spokesperson Ernesto Abella
Additional indicators include the countryâs opportunity to reduce poverty and generate economic growth in the country, as well as the availability of funds. The Philippinesâ inclusion, Abella said, serves as a ârecognition of the effortsâ of the administration to âcontinue and maintain macroeconomic policies while investing in human capital development in health and educational systems and improving social protection programs to protect the poor.â
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Pres. Rodrigo Duterte admitted on Monday, Aug. 21 that some abuses may have been committed by government forces enforcing his antidrug crackdown. MalacaĂąang photo
FUNERAL PROTEST. The children of Leover Miranda stand behind the hearse that carried their fatherâs remains to the Manila North Cemetery where he was buried on Sunday, Aug. 20. Miranda was one of dozens of drug suspects killed in several massive anti-drug operations in Metro Manila and Bulacan province last week. ManilaTimes.net photo by Bob Dungo Jr.
Govât dismisses moves to oust Duterte, says theyâre âpolitically motivatedâ THE government dismissed alleged moves to oust President Rodrigo Duterte by a group calling itself the Patriotic and Democratic Movement (Padem). In a press conference on Tues-
day, Palace spokesman Ernesto Abella said these moves by Padem, which claims to have members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), were âpolitically motivatedâ.
In a separate statement, the military, through Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla Jr., spokesman, vowed that the AFP would support Duterte, its commander-in-chief, and reiter-
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Duterte still âin full controlâ of drug war by DANA
SIOSON AJPress
MALACAĂANG on Tuesday, August 22 assured that President Rodrigo Duterte remains âin full controlâ of the Philippine National Police (PNP)âs enforcement of the administrationâs crackdown on illegal drugs. In a press briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella refuted accusations that Duterte has lost control of the police amid the controversial killing
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At Russia, with love: Filipinos among CA affirms Pembertonâs conviction on killing of Laude few with favorable view of Moscow by DANA
SIOSON AJPress
by AUDREY
MORALLO Philstar.com
THE Philippines is just one of three countries in the world that holds a favorable opinion of Russia, according to an international survey, bucking a global trend of distrust that Moscow will do the right thing in international affairs. A slight majority of Filipinos, 55 percent, have expressed a positive view of Moscow, according to Pew Researchâs Global Attitudes Project. Aside from the Philippines, only Vietnam (83 Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte listens to Russian President Vladimir Putin during their percent) and Greece (64 percent) meeting at the Asia-PaciďŹc Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Lima, Peru in November last year. MalacaĂąang photo
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THE Philippine Court of Appeals (CA) has upheld with finality its earlier decision convicting United States Marine Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton for killing Filipino transgender woman Jeffrey âJenniferâ Laude in October 2014. In a resolution issued on Tuesday, August 15, the appellate courtâs former Special 16th Division dismissed the appeal filed by Pemberton seeking to reverse the CAâs decision last April, which affirmed the earlier ruling of the Olongapo City Regional Trial Court (RTC) against him. âWith respect to Pembertonâs motion, we maintain our ruling
that his invocation of self-defense is an admission of the killing and of its authorship,â the CA decision read, penned by Associate Justice Marlene Gonzales-Sison. The CA said that Pembertonâs arguments are a mere ârehash of issuesâ already discussed in its decision in April 3 of this year. In its recent resolution, the court again dismissed Pembertonâs argument that he killed Laude in self-defense after the latter allegedly attacked him when he discovered Laudeâs real gender. âThe allegation of Pemberton that he was slapped by Laude could not even be corroborated by any medical findings. Worthy United States Marine Lance Corporal Joseph
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Scott Pemberton Photo from Olongapo City Jail