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Volume 23 - No. 11 • 2 Sections - 16 Pages
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$81-M LAUNDERING SCANDAL
USA RCBC bank manager feared Program allows for her life, witness says int’l STEM grads to DATELINE
from the AJPress NEWS TEAM AcroSS AMEricA
stay longer in US
INterNAtIoNAL students who earn their degrees in highly-sought stem (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields may be able to extend their stay in the United states longer. the revamped stem optional Practical training program, or stem oPt for short, adds an additional seven months to the previous length of stay required, while offering some safeguards to address labor concerns voiced by hundreds of American workers and stem students, reported the Us News & World report. According to Us Immigration and Customs enforcement (ICe) records, PAGE A4
by JEffErson
antiPorda ManilaTimes.net
the bank manager of the rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (rCBC) Jupiter Branch in makati City, maia Deguito, facilitated the transfer of huge amounts of cash because she feared for her life and the safety of her family, a witness told senators on thursday. romualdo Agarrado, a reserve officer of rCBC, claimed to have witnessed how De-
guito withdrew P20 million from the bank account of William so Go on february 5, 2016 and load it on her car. on february 9, Deguito called Agarrado and her assistant, senior customer relations officer Angela torres, to her office to explain what happened earlier. she told them that she had to proceed with the transactions otherwise she or her family will be killed. PAGE A2
SENATE INQUIRY ON MONEY LAUDERING. Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chairman Sen. TG Guingona III (center), Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto (2rd from right), Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano (right) and Senators Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV (left), Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara (2nd from left) and Joseph Victor Ejercito (seated) in a huddle during a break of the continuation of the Senate inquiry on the reported laundering of $81 million that suspiciously went through the country’s financial system, including local casinos. Senate photo by Alex Nueva España
Philrem to return P10-M to Bangladesh the foreign exchange remittance company that converted into pesos the $81 million stolen from the Bangladesh central bank thursday, march 17 apologized to the ambassador of the impoverished south Asian nation and offered to return all proceeds it made from the transaction. speaking before the senate blue ribbon committee, Philrem services Inc. president salud Bautista said her firm would issue a check in the name of the government of Bangladesh representing her company’s earnings from the deal. PAGE A2
Filipinos in US laud the late Sen. Jovito Salonga sAN frANCIsCo — Us-based filipinos extolled the late senate President Jovito salonga, who passed away at 95 on march 10 as a towering fighter for democracy, in the Philippines and while he was in exile in the United states. Lupita Aquino-Kashiwahara, sister of salonga’s contemporary senator Benigno ‘Ninoy’ Aquino Jr., fondly recalled that Ninoy called salonga “Prof,” a sign of respect and admiration for the latter’s intellect and role as one of Ninoy’s lead lawyers during his “kangaroo trial” before a military tribunal during martial Law. “I remember Jovy (salonga) as one of the leaders of the opposition forces who fought against the tyranny of dicPAGE A4
AFTER CLOSED-DOOR SESSION. Maia Santos-Deguito, RCBC Jupiter branch manager, and her lawyer emerge from the executive session of the Senate blue ribbon committee, which is looking into the laundering of $81 million from the Bangladesh central bank. Inquirer.net photo by Grig Montegrande
IN THE HOT SEAT. Salud Bautista, president of Philrem remittance company, responds to questions during the Senate hearing on Thursday, March 17. Inquirer.net photo by Grig Montegrande
Al Gore tells Filipinos: Use ‘people Super Tuesday Part 3: Trump and power’ to address climate change Clinton dominate primary night oN tuesday night, march 15, five more states held key presidential primary contests--ohio, florida, Illinois, North Carolina, and missouri--where two party candidates emerged as front-runners of the race. hillary Clinton swept all five contests in florida, Illinois, North Carolina, missouri, and ohio, racking up more delegates to solidify her lead for the Democratic nomination. the victories bolster Clinton’s claim that she is her party’s only candidate who can win diverse states that will be pivotal
by alExis
romEro Philstar.com
mANILA—former Us vice president and environment activist Al Gore on Wednesday, march 16 urged filipinos to use “people power” to convince leaders to act on climate change and to counter the influence of industries opposed to the phasing out of coal. Gore said groups advocating climate action should organize themselves and use technology like the social media to spread their message and express their concerns. “People in social media can serve as counter balance (to the coal lobbyists),” Gore said during the Climate reality Leadership Corps training in Pasay. “I believe it’s (social media) a revolutionary that can dramatically increase people power,” he added. Coal-fired power plants emit carbon, which has been linked to rising global temperatures, climate change, rising sea levels and extreme weather conditions. environment activists claim that climate change poses the greatest threat to the global economy and endangers the lives of people living in disaster-prone areas like the Philippines. there have been calls to phase out coal and to promote the use of the en-
in the November general election, CNN reported, even despite her surprise loss in michigan last week. “We are moving closer to securing the Democratic Party nomination and winning this election in November,” Clinton told supporters during a victory speech in West Palm Beach, florida, where her biggest win (214 delegates, 64 percent of the vote) took place. Clinton added that by the end of the night, she would have two million more PAGE A2
SC junks appeal on vote receipts by Edu
Punay Philstar.com
FORMER US Vice President and global climate action advocate Al Gore on Wednesday urged the public to act as a “counterweight” to governments and big businesses that continue to use coal-fired plants and other polluting sources of energy. On the third and final day of the Climate Reality Leadership Corps training in Manila, Gore urged some 750 climate warriors from 33 countries to “summon the political will to be in the streets, knock on doors and organize others to build a counterweight to business.” Inquirer.net photo by Richard A. Reyes
vironment-friendly renewable energy but these are being opposed by industries and skeptics who are not convinced that climate change was caused by human activities. Gore stressed that people who care about
the environment should go beyond posting online comments. “meet with other human beings. meet them in the eye,” the former Us vice presiPAGE A2
mANILA—It’s final: voters will get receipts on election day. Despite bringing voting machines to the supreme Court for an actual demonstration on thursday, march 17, the Commission on elections failed to persuade the sC to reconsider its order to issue voters’ receipts on may 9. Voting unanimously, the sC affirmed its unanimous decision last week requiring the Comelec to activate the receiptgenerating feature of the machines. the sC tossed out the Comelec’s appeal for lack of merit immediately after PAGE A3
Two vote counting machines – one which prints receipts and another configured to only have on-screen verification – sit at the session hall of the Supreme Court for demonstration during oral arguments on the Voter Verification Paper Audit Trail feature of the machines on Thursday, March 17. Philstar.com photo by Edd Gumban