Manila Standard - 2018 August 3 - Friday

CHINA OFFERS JOINT WAR DRILL, OIL HUNT WITH ASEAN

(NEWS A2)

Ruling party execs regroup, close ranks By Maricel V. Cruz IN FACE of confusion over developments in the erstwhile ruling party PDPLaban and other Duterte-allied parties, the former held a leadership assembly Thursday in Quezon City to iron out what was perceived as confusion by some officials. Both former Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III and former Speaker Panta-

leon Alvarez of Davao del Norte called for party unity amid the squabble, with the latter saying he “remains friends” with party mates even after his ouster as House leader by Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. In related developments: • The group of Alvarez has elected a party-list lawmaker as the new minority leader, Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo FariNext page ñas said.

VOL. XXXII • NO. 169 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2018 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@manilastandard.net

PRESENT FISTS. Members of the ruling party PDP-Laban, led by former Senate president Aquilino Pimentel III and former Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, gather Thursday at the Seda Hotel in Quezon City for what the party calls a leadership meeting. Members thrust the now too familiar Duterte signature lunge, in an apparent gesture they are with the President. Manny Palmero

Senate won’t act on Cha-Cha Fil-Am ‘Superman’ sets a record THAT’S what happened to 10-year-old Filipino-American swimmer Clark Kent Apuada, who recently erased a record set by Michael Phelps—the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time —23 years ago. Next page

‘Kiki’ challenge risky, MMDA warns THE government on Thursday warned people of the danger of dancing the “In My Feelings” or “Kiki” challenge, adding that anyone who will caught doing this in public may be put in jail or can be charged for violating the AntiDistracted Driving Act. Next page

Arroyo pushes We’ll just fold our arms and do nothing—Lacson 5 measures to HE proposal to amend the tame inflation Constitution to shift By Macon Ramos-Araneta

T

the country toward a federal system of government is dead as a majority of the senators have taken a united stand to oppose it, Senator Panfilo Lacson said Thursday.

By Macon RamosAraneta, Maricel Cruz and Nat Mariano SPEAKER Gloria Macapagal Arroyo recommended at least five measures to address inflation during a recent meeting with the country’s top economic managers, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said Thursday, even as the House committee on ways and means approved a bill lowering corporate income taxes and amending other provisions of the Tax Code. “She seems to be very concerned with inflation,” Diokno told the ANC morning newscast. He said Arroyo elaborated on the proposals during a closed-door meeting that was also attended by Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia. Next page

LACSON

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SOTTO

Islamic teacher arrested for ‘direct info’ on Basilan blast By Francisco Tuyay AN ISLAMIC teacher believed to have direct knowledge of the car blast that killed 10 people Tuesday on the outskirts of Lamitan City was arrested by government troops two days after the attack.

Authorities also identified the owner of the 10-seater van loaded with explosive devices that went off at the Bulanting checkpoint outside of Lamitan City. Col. Gerry Besana, spokesman of the Western Mindanao Command, identified the bombing suspect as Ustadz Jainul

Warship out to rescue Korean, 4 Pinoys

Luy admits transfer of pork funds to US

SEOUL―Seoul said Thursday it had deployed a warship to Libya in an apparent show of force to secure the release of a South Korean national kidnapped along with three Filipinos in the North African country. The 4,000-ton vessel Munmu the Great, which takes part in anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden, was now on its way to Libya, officials said.

By Maricel V. Cruz and Rio N. Araja PORK barrel scam whistleblower Benhur Luy on Thursday said he transferred funds to the bank accounts in the US of businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles now facing prosecution for money laundering in a criminal case filed in the United States. Continuing his testimony at the trial of the plunder case against Napoles and former senator Ramon Revilla Jr. at the Sandiganbayan, Luy alleged that part of the funds from Revilla’s pork barrel or Priority Development Assistance Fund that supposedly went to implementing agencies were sent to the US. Speaking in Tagalog, Luy said in his testimony his group had the money sent to her US accounts by telegraphic Next page transfer.

Maialim Indamin, 58, alias Abdulgani, a resident of Timbakan Barangay Maganda, Lamitan. Besana said in the course of their investigations, Lt. Col. MontanoAlmodobar, commander of the 3rd Scout Ranger Battalion

“As of last Tuesday... the Senate is solid in its stance not to enter in what lawyers call a cause of action. We will not take appropriate actions that would give [someone] the opportunity to question it before the Supreme Court,” Lacson told the regular “Kapihan sa Senado.” “So we have agreed that as of now, we’ll just fold our arms and do nothing,” he added. The matter of Charter change, Lacson said, is still in the committee level in the Senate, and they are still talking about the mode that could be adopted. “We’re not about to preempt what the committee on constitutional amendments and revision of codes and laws is doing,” Lacson said. Lacson also said the Senate would be trapped if it were to adopt a resolution convening the Senate and House of Representatives as a constituent assembly as a way to amend the Constitution.

In addition to “carrying out its duty of protecting commercial vessels, [the warship] is also preparing for all possibilities including the need for military support,” a defense ministry spokesman told AFP, without elaborating. The three Filipino engineers and a South Korean were abducted in an attack on a water project site in western Libya on July 6. Next page

Primer on draft Con-Com Constitution

order. When the Church owns taxable property—a building that is rented out to offices or establishments—such a property and income therefrom will be taxed. (14th of a series) However the provision of the 1987 ConQ: There has been some clamor now stitution on exemption of churches and for churches, particularly the Catholic other religious buildings actually, diChurch, to be taxed. Are the exemp- rectly and exclusively used for religious tions still in the draft? purposes remains in place. In this regard, A: In the first place, distinctions are in Next page

Fr. Ranhilio Callangan Aquino Con-Com 2018 Member

HIGH ALERT. The bomb explosions in Lamitan, Basilan—with the arrested suspect, Indalin Jainul (screen grab from UNTV website [inset]), have sent ripples of reaction to as far north as the national capital region, with the NCRPO, headed by Chief Supt. Guillermo Eleazar declaring heightened alert level for police in the metropolis. Photo shows the Quezon City Police District conducting an inspection and tight security at the provincial buses terminal in Quezon City Thursday. Manny Palmero