MAUTE RECRUITER FALLS; COPS ON ALERT By Bill Casas and Sara Susanne D. Fabunan THE National Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday announced the arrest of a suspect for spreading radical Islamic extremist propaganda, recruiting foreign fighters to come to the Philippines to sow terror and inciting rebellion through
the use of the internet and social media. The 36-year-old suspect was identified as Karen Aizha Hamidon, who was arrested in her home in Taguig City by NBI agents on Oct. 11, the bureau’s director, Dante A. Gierran, said. Gierran said Hamidon has been a person of interest to
authorities since she gained international notoriety in the middle of 2016 when she successfully recruited several Indian nationals to come to the Philippines to join radical Islamic extremist groups in Mindanao. Gierran said Hamidon is the wife of Mohammad Jaafar Maguid, a.k.a. Tokboy a.k.a. Abu
Sharifa, the former leader of the Ansar Khalifa Philippines, a group responsible in the September 2016 Davao City night market bombing in cooperation with the Maute Group, as well as the failed attempt to bomb the US Embassy in Manila in December 2016. Mohammad Jaafar Maguid was killed by police in January
VOL. XXXI • NO. 247 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2017 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@manilastandard.net
Duterte taunts UN: Solve PH drug woes By John Paolo Bencito
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RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte said if the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency fails to eradicate illegal drugs by next year, he will allow the United Nations to intervene in its war on drugs. the drug war, Duterte noted that PDEA is undermanned with only a little over 1,000 personnel—a big difference when compared with the Philippine National Police’s over 175,000 members. Duterte said he could tolerate policemen involved in smuggling, but not linked to the illegal drug trade. Next page
able cause to impeach her. Gadon on Wednesday slammed Sereno for blaming her fellow Supreme Court magistrates for the delayed release of the survivorship benefits of 94-year-old Dolores Colayco, widow of a Court Appeals justice who died recently without receiving her pension. Gadon accused Sereno of lying when her camp claimed that the delay in the Next page
By Francisco Tuyay ABU Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon offered millions of pesos to anyone who could get him out of Marawi City as government troops closed in on his position, Armed Forces chief Gen. Eduardo Año said Wednesday. “He offered millions to anyone who could give him a bangka and who could guide them out of the main battle area,” Año said in Filipino on a radio interview. “But we made a promise that he would not escape and we would get him dead or alive.” Troops from the Army Scout Ranger Regiment and other special forces killed Hapilon and Omar Maute early Monday morning. The military said Hapilon, the Abu Sayyaf group leader, was shot in the chest while Maute was finished off by a head shot. Next page
‘Hasten spending on agri’
Impeach-CJ proponents to consolidate evidence THE people who filed the dismissed impeachment complaint against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno plan to merge their documentary evidence with those of lawyer Lorenzo Gadon whose case against Sereno has progressed. They said their evidence could reinforce Gadon’s complaint against Sereno even as the House of Representatives is still to determine whether there is prob-
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Slain IS emir tried to buy his way out
REQUIEM AETERNAM. File photo of Cebu Archbishop Cardinal Ricardo Vidal, who died Wednesday at the age of 86, a week after he collapsed into a coma, then woke up in a semicoma state. Members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines are mourning the death of the bishop, remembered as a ‘true servant leader.’ (Story on A2) Ey Acasio
“We will go to the United Nations, [and the] human rights [activists]… we will ask them to solve the problem for us… Drugs are a problem worldwide. Even the Americans are having a headache,” Duterte said in a speech at Camarines Sur Tuesday. Barely a week after he designated the agency to lead
2017 in Sarangani province. Gierran said HamIdon is a known associate of Musa Cerantonio, an Australian Islamist preacher who has inspired numerous foreigners to join the Islamic State or ISIS. She is also under investigation by other foreign intelligence agencies for her possible links to
HOPEFUL BEAUTIES. Miss World Philippines candidates Laura Lehmann (left) and Winwyn Marquez (right) set their sights on global crowns—in a sendoff ceremony at Anabel’s Restaurant in Quezon City. Laura will compete in the Miss World coronation on Nov. 18 in China while Winwyn will compete in the Miss Reina Hispanoamericana pageant in Bolivia. Manny Palmero
GOVERNMENT underspending was highest in the Agriculture and Education Departments, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said Wednesday but added he remained confident they would hit the P2.909-trillion spending target at the end of the year. He told reporters the slow budget spending in the two departments were mostly due to the demand to build more farm-to-market roads and school buildings that were not being addressed quickly. “The budget is with the DepEd, but the construction arm of the country is [the Department of] Public Next page
19 frat men accused of cover-up
Palace open Naia removed from worst to dialog on airport tag—travel guide jeep upgrade By Joel E. Zurbano
By Bill Casas and Macon RamosAraneta
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte will not budge on his tough stance supporting jeepney modernization despite strong opposition against it, Malacanang said Wednesday. But it remains open to healthier dialogue with transport groups, who will be greatly affected by the new program. “When public good is at stake, the Duterte administration will not compromise,” Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a statement.
SOME 19 members of the Aegis Juris fraternity met on the same day that freshman law student Horacio Castillo III was brought to the hospital and proclaimed dead from hazing, the Manila Police District chief said on Wednesday. At a hearing of the Senate public order committee, Chief Supt. Joel coronel said they discovered an online chat group with 30 Aegis JuNext page ris members.
SUSPECTS APPEAR. Two prime suspects in the death of University of Santo Tomas law student Horacio ‘Atio’ Castillo III show up on Wednesday at the Senate’s resumption of its probe on the incident. It was John Paul Solano’s second appearance and the first time for Ralph Trangia at the hearing of the Senate committees on public order and dangerous drugs chaired by Senator Panfilo Lacson. Lino Santos
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THE Ninoy Aquino International Airport, the Philippines’ premier gateway, is no longer one of the worst in the world, according to online travel site Guide to Sleeping in Airports. The government also welcomed the latest survey results that four airports in the country--Iloilo International Airport, Mactan-Cebu International Airport, Clark International Airport, and Davao International Airport--were again listed in the top 25 best airports in Asia for 2017. Based on the Guide to Sleeping in Airports 2017
review, Juba International Airport in South Sudan topped the list of Worst Airports in the World. “When I passed through a few weeks ago, it was a tent with a rotting plywood floor full of dangerous holes. I have heard rumors now that the floor has collapsed completely. The tents leak during rainy season. You must wade through mud puddles to get to the check-in desk,” stated a survey respondent referring to the Juba International Airport. Juba was followed by Jeddah King Abdulaziz International Airport in Saudi Next page
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