DOJ: We won’t yield to ICC Insists on drug war probe on its own, Duterte says ICC can do its worst n By MARICEL V. CRUZ
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HE Philippines will not yield to the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court after the latter announced it will resume it probe into the deaths associated with the anti-illegal drugs campaign waged by former president Rodrigo Duterte.
Vol. 36 No. 347
2 SECTIONS
January 29, 2023 8 PAGES
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IN MET R MANILAO
The Department of Justice on Saturday said it will conduct its "own" investigation into the war on drugs and will share its findings with the ICC, but only out of comity. CONTINUED ON 3A
TRANQUIL WATERS. A rice
cake vendor walks along the beach in San Juan, Batangas. Manny Marcelo
US Defense PBBM raises 7 priority bills in talk with Congress leaders chief sets PH trip next week PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. discussed at least seven priority measures – including the ratification of a regional trade pact, the proposed sovereign fund, and a measure limiting the military officials who will be entitled to a fixed term of three years – in a meeting with the top leaders of Congress on Friday. Mr. Marcos underscored the importance of ratifying the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) – a free trade agreement among the Asia-Pacific nations of Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam – during his meeting with Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and House Speaker Martin Romualdez. Zubiri said the proposed Maharlika Investment Fund was also raised, and the President agreed there is no need to rush its passage. “I thank the President as he agreed not to rush this proposed measure so we can fine tune further the different provisions of the MIF and put in place enough
WASHINGTON has confirmed the visit of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III to South Korea and the Philippines next week aimed at reaffirming the "deep commitment” of the United States to its allies in the region. "Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III will depart Jan. 29 for a trip to the Republic of Korea and the Philippines," the US Department of Defense said in an advisory. "During his visits, he will meet with senior government and military leaders in both countries to advance regional stability and further strengthen the defense partnerships with the United States. This trip reaffirms the deep commitment of the United States to work in concert with allies and partners in support of the shared vision of preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific," the advisory read. Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez said Austin wants to meet his Filipino counterpart, Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. "The main purpose is really to be able to again be able to interact with our defense establishments, especially with our new Defense secretary," Romualdez said. CONTINUED ON 3A
HIGH-LEVEL MEETING. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. met with House Speaker Martin Romualdez and Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri on Friday, Jan. 27, 2023, to discuss his administration's priority measures.
Low pay keeps guidance counselors from school THE Department of Education on Saturday admitted there is a scarcity of guidance counselors to attend to the psychosocial needs and mental well-being of students. "We find it difficult to provide guidance
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counselors to all public schools because of the salary grade," DepEd spokesman Michael Poa said in a television interview following a series of violent incidents in schools this month. “There is also no career progression
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Top US general warns of looming war with China WORLD | 3A
unlike teachers who have Teacher 1, Teacher 2, Teacher 3 and so on. That is something we like to work on,” he added. A 12 year-old student accidentally shot himself with a gun he brought inside the CONTINUED ON 3A
safeguards to protect the funds from corruption or mismanagement,” the Senate President said. He said the economic cluster of the Cabinet will brief the Senate on the MIF on Monday, January 30. The proposed MIF has already been approved by the House of Representatives on final reading last month. At the Senate, a bill filed by Sen. Mark Villar was referred to the committee on banks, financial intermediaries, and currencies on Jan. 23. Other priority measures discussed during the meeting are as follows: the condonation of unpaid amortization and interest on loans of agrarian reform beneficiaries; amendments to the law on the fixed three-year term for some military officials; the Medical Reserve Corps Act; the Center for Disease Prevention and Control Act; and the Virology Science and Technology Institute of the Philippines Act. Congress has committed to pass the three health-related measures within the first quarter of the year, Zubiri said. CONTINUED ON 3A
Gov't eyes link of BI officials to jailed Japanese mob boss THE Department of Justice will investigate Immigration officials who may have been in cahoots with a Japanese national in running a series of robberies in Japan while being detained in a Bureau of Immigration facility. “I will hold them accountable if it is found out that they were operating a criminal enterprise inside. We will hold them accountable,” Justice Secretary Jesus Remulla said. Remulla said the DOJ will also look into the pending criminal case for violence
against women and children filed against Yuki Watanabe, suspected of being part of the Japanese robbery group, to determine whether it was a “simulated case” to prevent his deportation. “We cannot act on a deportation of a person with a pending case, that's why we’re looking at the case if it’s a simulated case, if it’s a real case or a simulated case,” the Justice chief said. Watanabe, who also goes by the aliases Kenjie Watanabe and Kenjie Shimada, was CONTINUED ON 3A
Onions at low P170/kilo as imports boost supply THE prevailing retail prices of onions have dropped to as low as P170 per kilo for the loc white variety amid higher supply as imports arrived on schedule. The Department of Agriculture's Bantay Presyo showed the lowest price was recorded for local white onions at P170/kg,
with the highest at P300/kg. Imported white onions are set at P250/ kg to P260/kg. The prevailing price range of local red onions, on the other hand, stood at P240/ kg to P350/kg, higher than the price range of imported red onions set at P200/kg to
P250/kg. DA Assistant Secretary Kristine Evangelista said the government is working on bringing back the prices to peak harvest levels. “The lowest price was as low as P67/kg or CONTINUED ON 3A