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De Lima appeals to PBBM Asks for DOJ to stop blocking witness to testify over her drug case
ETAINED former Senator Leila de Lima on Thursday asked President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to "order" the Department of Justice (DOJ) to "stop blocking the testimony" of a recanting witness in her ongoing drug-related trial.
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Former Senator Leila de Lima (left) and former Bureau of Corrections officer-in-charge Rafael Ragos.
House sets 50-percent cut on remittance fees By Maricel V. Cruz A PANEL in the House of Representatives has recommended for plenary consideration several pieces of legislation that aim to protect the remittances of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). This was as the House Committee
on Overseas Workers Affairs, chaired by Kabayan party-list Rep. Ron Salo, on Thursday began deliberationson House Bills 185, 1190, 2944, 3020, 4170, 4257, 4343, 4397 and 4469. These bills propose a 50-percent discount on remittance fees, which would eventually be granted as tax deductions
for the service providers. The committee eventually consolidated and approved the nine bills and took note of position papers to be submitted by concerned agencies and organizations in crafting the substitute bill. Citing a World Bank study, Deputy
"Mr. President, I will not and will never ask you to interfere with the courts. This is my earnest and most respectful plea to you, your Excellency: Order DOJ to stop blocking the testimony of the recanting prosecution witness Rafael Ragos and for them to stop presenting obviously perjured witnesses like Herbert Colangco," De Lima said in a tweet. Ragos appeared on Sept. 30 at the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court(RTC) supposedly to affirm his April 30 affidavit recanting his statements linking De Lima to the illegal drug trade, but was prevented by prosecution lawyers from affirming his retraction on the witness stand. Ragos’ lawyer, Michael de Castro, then told reporters that the DOJ filed a motion for reconsideration (MR) on an earlier court order that would have allowed his client to take the stand.
In their six-page MR, the DOJ panel led by Provincial Prosecutor Ramoncito Bienvenido Ocampo Jr. argued that “recantations are typically viewed with suspicion and hardly given much weight.” “Obviously, Mr. Ragos’ alleged recantation is nothing but an afterthought. The timeliness and circumstances of the alleged recantation is clearly suspect and even amounts to perjury,” they said. According to De Lima, Mr. Marcos is in the position to undo the "wrongs" inflicted on her by former President Rodrigo Duterte. "You can reverse the grievous wrongs inflicted on me by your predecessor. Please, Mr. President. Salamat po (thank you)," De Lima said. "I have faith in our justice system, but I pray that the DOJ panel will be Next page
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VOL. XXXVI • NO. 240• 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P20 FRIDAY, FRIDAY OCTOBER 14, 2022 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com
Poll body strict with 25 age limit on SK aspirants CANDIDATES who are 25 years old by next year's Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections will be screened and will not be allowed to run for office, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Thursday. Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said the poll body will refuse to accept certificates of candidacy (COCs) of over-aged SK aspirants to prevent the filing of numerous petitions for cancellation and disqualification. About 42,000 current youth council chairmen and over 293,000 Next page
WATER WOES. Commuters become stranded while vehicles navigate through the flooded Taft Avenue corner UN Avenue in Manila on Thursday due to heavy rains. Tropical depression Neneng entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Thursday and may reach tropical storm category by Saturday, the state weather bureau said (story on A2). Norman Cruz
COVID growth in NCR down, very high in 7 areas Gatchalian: Blacklisting issue
By Willie Casas and Joel E. Zurbano
THE COVID-19 positivity rate has gone down in the National Capital Region (NCR) but is “very high” in several provinces, independent monitoring OCTA Research Group said Thursday. In a tweet, OCTA fellow Guido Da-
vid said the positivity rate in the NCR dropped from 17.9 percent on Oct. 8 to 15 percent on Oct. 11. However, David said the positivity rates are “very high” in Tarlac (51.8 percent), Camarines Sur (46.2 percent), Zambales (33.6 percent), South Cotabato (26.2 percent), Cavite (22.6 percent), Laguna (22.2 percent), and Rizal (21.2 percent) as of Oct. 11.
HEART MEDIA AWARD.
Manila Standard Advertising Manager Baldwin Felipe (right) receives the Platinum Heart Media Award from Philippine Heart Association president Dr. Jude Erric Cinco for the Standard being ‘a powerful vehicle and platform’ for the PHA’s flagship Healthy Lifestyle and CPR Advocacy programs’ on Thursday at the EDSA ShangriLa Hotel in Mandaluyong City.
The positivity rate refers to the percentage of people who were found positive for COVID-19 among the total number of individuals tested. The Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday noted an increase in COVID-19 daily tally with 2,883 new cases logged, while the active infections climbed to 25,293. Next page
DOJ chief not interfering in son’s drug rap THE son of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla was arrested by members of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Thursday for claiming a parcel that allegedly contained kush or high-grade marijuana worth P1.3 million. Juanito Jose Remulla III, the Justice chief’s eldest son, was nabbed after getting the parcel from San Diego, California. The Justice Secretary, in a handwritten statement, said he would "not intervene in his son's predicament." “I am both a father and the secretary of Justice, roles that I take very seriously. We all know about unconditional love, but at 38 years old, he will have to face Next page
only case of misappreciation
By Macon Ramos-Araneta CHINESE Ambassador Huang Xilian did not directly say that the Philippines will be “blacklisted anytime soon” by China for hosting Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs), Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said on Thursday. His statement contradicted that of Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri. “Just to be fair, at least in my appreciation, he never categorically said that: ‘Oh, the Philippines will be blacklisted anytime soon.’ He never said that,” Gatchalian said in an interview on ANC’s Headstart.
Earlier, Zubiri took exception when the Chinese embassy said the ambassador never said the Philippines would be blacklisted because itallowed the operation of POGOs, which target Chinese nationals with their online gambling operations. Huang had paid a courtesy call to the Senate earlier this week, meeting with Zubiri, Gatchalian, and Senator Robin Padilla. During the Senate hearing on the economic costs and benefits of POGOs, Zubiri said that based on their conversations with Huang, the Philippines has
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DepEd junks claims of rebranding ML THE Department of Education on Thursday denied claims that it plans to rebrand the teaching of martial law as "Bagong Lipunan" (New Society) in the basic education curriculum. Asked for confirmation, DepEd Spokesperson Michael Poa told ABSCBN news the plan was "not true." During the campaign period for this year's elections, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. denied spreading false information about the events under his father's administration. Mr. Marcos’ running mate, Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio, is also
the concurrent Education Secretary. The President’s sister, Sen. Imee Marcos, has said their family would not "revise history" but only share their side of the story. According to reports from global human rights watchdog Amnesty International, there were 100,000 victims of martial law from 1972 to 1981, with 3,000 killed, 34,000 tortured and 70,000 arrested. A social media user recently alleged that their friend, whom they identified as a professor from the University of the Next page