Category: General

MANILA: At least 11 persons were killed after a passenger bus rammed into a pickup truck in Abulug, Cagayan early Thursday.

In a radio interview, Abulug town police chief Maj. Antonio Palattao said the victims, all passengers of the pickup truck, were killed on the spot during the mishap that occured past midnight at the Ayaga Junction in the town’s Barangay Lucban.

Palattao said the passengers of the pickup truck, who are relatives, are heading home to Allacapan town from a funeral in Flora, Apayao while the bus is en route to Sta. Ana town from Baguio City when the accident happened.

‘Ang nangyari is yung Florida bus binangga niya yung pickup dito sa driver side. Doon sa video footage kasi na napanood namin is yung pickup dumiretso siya instead na kumanan sana papuntang Tuguegarao, dumiretso siya biglang lumabas dito sa main highway, tamang tama naman nandiyan yung Florida (What happened was the Florida bus hit the pickup at the driver side. Based on the video footage that we watch, the pickup went strai
ght instead of turning right going to Tuguegarao. It went straight and exited at the main highway, just when an oncoming Florida bus was there),’ Palattao said.

Due to the collision’s strong impact, the pickup truck hit a market stall while the bus hit a wall of an establishment in the area.

Meanwhile, two other passengers of the pickup truck were severely injured and 23 passengers of the bus, including the driver and conductor, only sustained minor injuries and were brought to a hospital but were already discharged.

The bus driver would face charges of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide and damage to property, Palattao said.

Source: Philippines News Agency

President To Lam met with Chairman of the Lao National Assembly Saysomphone Phomvihane in Vientiane on July 11 as part of his State visit to Laos.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

MANILA: Following President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to update the Philippine Iron and Steel Roadmap, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has committed to craft a comprehensive and sustainable development blueprint for the sector.

In a Viber message to reporters Thursday, DTI Secretary Alfredo Pascual said his agency will work with industry stakeholders to review and upgrade the iron and steel industry roadmap.

“Our goal is to develop a comprehensive and sustainable strategy that strengthens the domestic steel industry and enhances our trade balance,” Pascual said.

Particularly, the DTI chief said he aims to reduce the country’s reliance on imports.

“The steel industry is integral to our nation’s infrastructure development and economic growth, and we recognize its critical role in propelling the Philippines forward,” he added.

‘We are confident that through a whole-of-nation approach, we can cultivate a robust Philippine steel industry and attract substantial investments in this vital s
ector,’ Pascual said.

On Wednesday, President Marcos graced the inauguration of the manufacturing facility of the country’s largest steelmaker SteelAsia Manufacturing Corp. in Compostela, Cebu.

SteelAsia Compostela Works has a production capacity of 1 million tons annually.

Earlier, SteelAsia chairman and chief executive officer Benjamin Yao announced another PHP65 billion in investments to build four new manufacturing facilities in Quezon Province, Tarlac, and Davao.

These facilities are expected to produce steel products that are not yet being manufactured in the country.

Likewise, integrated steel manufacturer Panhua Integrated Steel, Inc. is also set to start commercial operations next year, producing various steel materials and billets for cold-rolling, automobiles, and construction.

Source: Philippines News Agency

CEBU CITY: The Land Transportation Office (LTO) in Central Visayas intensified its operations against public utility vehicles (PUVs) overcharging passengers during the Palarong Pambansa 2024 event this week.

Glen Galario, regional director of LTO-7, said in a statement Thursday that his office has received complaints from Palaro delegates falling victim to overcharging fares of taxis in Metro Cebu.

‘We received reports that these taxi drivers are taking advantage of this national event happening now in Cebu and overcharging our delegates. We cannot let this happen and rest assured that our personnel are also working very hard in catching these illegal activities,’ he said.

As this developed, two drivers were apprehended and issued with temporary operator’s permit (TOP) on Thursday.

The first incident reportedly overcharged passengers who rode from Cebu City to Carcar City. The driver charged them with a fixed rate of PHP3,000.

The second incident involved passengers from the pier area to Danao City who w
ere charged a fixed fare of PHP950.

Galario reminded passengers to immediately file a complaint against erring drivers and take photos or videos as proof of evidence.

‘Whether it’s unmetered or overcharging, that is still considered as a violation of their franchise. We cannot let our delegates be victims of these traps, especially in an annual multi-sport event like this,’ he said.

Drivers found guilty of overcharging will pay a fine of PHP5,000 for the first offense, PHP10,000 for the second offense, and PHP15,000 for the third offense.

They may also face a violation of franchise conditions and may be slapped with a PHP6,000 fine and a possible revocation of their franchise and driver’s license.

Source: Philippines News Agency

President To Lam and Lao Party General Secretary and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith witnessed the exchanges of cooperation agreements between ministries, agencies and businesses of the two countries after their talks in Vientiane on July 11.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Crew members and officers of the US Navy’s 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge and US Coast Guard Cutter Waesche have engaged in many cultural and community activities during a port call in the central province of Khanh Hoa from July 8 to 11. Visiting an orphanage in Cam Phuoc Dong commune in Cam Ranh city on July 11 morning, they talked to and joined over 70 children in various activities such as re-painting equipment at the playground, painting figurines, and performing music.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA: The Antique Provincial Board Committee on History and Cultural Heritage is being urged to pass an ordinance for the preservation and protection of the tombs of the Ati ancestors.

Engr. Jonathan de Gracia, who is a member of the Sibalom Municipal Committee on Tourism and Culture Affairs Committee, said in an interview Thursday that in their municipality there are around eight Ati tombs in different barangays that are being excavated by treasure hunters hoping to find antiques or even Chinese porcelains.

‘We need to preserve and protect the tombs of our Ati ancestors for they are part of our culture and history,’De Gracia said.

He said that these tombs had been neglected and now look like mounds of earth with grass growing on top of it.

It had been identified by the local people, however, because also of the narrations of their forebears.

These tombs are located in the remote barangays of Grasparil, Porras, Igparas, Indag-an, Villafont, and Calu-oy, all in Sibalom.

The two other to
mbs are in Barangay Bulalacao still of Sibalom.

‘The local people claim that these treasure hunters who try to excavate these Ati tombs come from other neighboring provinces of Antique,’he said.

De Gracia added that he was even informed by a resident that in one of the excavations, there were skeletons believed to be of a dead infant found inside a Chinese porcelain jar. The infant could have been placed inside the jar before he was buried.

De Gracia urged the provincial board to pass an ordinance for the preservation and protection of these tomb, believing there are also similar Ati tombs in other municipalities.

The provincial board Committee on History and Cultural Heritage chaired by Board Member Egidio Elio is also in the process of coming up with a related ordinance for the installation of markers on declared statues, landmarks and historic sites in the Province of Antique

The ordinance for the installation of markers, which now on second reading, if finally approved will have a penalty clause of P
HP5,000 and/or six months imprisonment at the discretion of the court on any person, group or corporation that will remove, damage, destroy or deface any declared historical site and marker.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday entered into an arrangement with partner institutions to establish standard investigation procedures for deaths of persons deprived of liberty (PDLs).

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, University of the Philippines (UP) Manila Chancellor Michael Tee, and United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Program Office in the Philippines Country Manager Daniele Marchesi signed the ‘Declaration of Cooperation to Strengthen Procedures to Investigate Custodial Deaths of PDLs.’

The declaration is in cognizance of the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, otherwise known as the ‘Nelson Mandela Rules,’ which ensures the management of prison facilities under the DOJ will be in accordance with international standards, good practices and competitive medical forensic expertise.

Under the declaration, the parties acknowledge the importance of the 2016 Revised United Nations Manual on the Effective Prevention and Investigation of Extra-legal,
Arbitrary and Summary Executions, also known as the Minnesota Protocol, to serve as a guiding document for the investigation of custodial deaths.

The DOJ, which committed to thoroughly investigate the deaths of PDLs under Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) custody in accordance with international standards and good practices, shall ensure the immediate transport in an appropriate and timely manner the PDL human remains who died within BuCor facilities in the National Capital Region (NCR) including Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) to the designated facilities of the UP Medicine that facilitates a high standard of autopsies and death investigation.

Meanwhile, UP which undertakes to provide technical expertise in the determination of the same, shall carry out autopsies on the bodies of deceased PDLs in accordance with international standards, among others.

UNODC, on the other hand, will provide vital technical assistance and normative support to assure collaborative efforts are maintained.

The parties als
o acknowledge the importance of the 2016 Revised United Nations Manual on the Effective Prevention and Investigation of Extra-legal, Arbitrary and Summary Executions, known as the Minnesota Protocol on the Investigation of Potentially Unlawful Death, as a guiding document for the investigation of custodial deaths.

The officials also said a credible standard procedure will help build the public trust of the government.

‘Our collaborative efforts with UP and the UNODC will be vital in ensuring that even our dead PDLs will be given justice, dignity, humane treatment and respect,’ Remulla said.

Meanwhile, forensic physician Raquel Fortun said a thorough examination of deaths of PDL not only rules out foul play but also uncovers and lingering health issues among the inmate population.

Fortun said deaths arising from tuberculosis, which is highly transmissible and fatal if untreated, has been recorded even among inmates as young as 31 years old.

BuCor Director General Gregorio Catapang Jr. welcomed the agreeme
nt on the new protocols on the handling of inmates who died inside corrections facilities while serving their sentences.

‘We at the BuCor welcome this development to give more transparency in determining the cause of death of PDLs under our care, and I recognized that PDLs shall be accorded with utmost respect for their rights and dignity especially at the time of death,’ Catapang said, adding that this broadened the procedures to investigate every PDL death that occurs within the correction facilities ‘without distinction whether the cause of death is natural or unlawful.’

He said before the signing of the declaration, the BuCor’s manual provides that unless claimed by relatives, ‘the body of a PDL who dies in the corrections’ facility may be turned over to an institution of learning or any scientific research center designated by the Secretary, for the purpose of study and investigation, provided that such institution shall provide a decent burial of the remains.’

Otherwise, the Bureau shall order the bu
rial of the body of the PDL at government expense, he said.

Based on BuCor data, for the last five years, there were about 4,636 registered deaths bureau-wide, including the 48 recorded deaths from January to June of this year who died of natural causes.

Source: Philippines News Agency

TACLOBAN CITY: The recent discovery of war materiel in Eastern Samar highlights the role of former New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in completely ending insurgency in the province, the Philippine Army said on Thursday.

The Army’s 78th Infantry Battalion commander, Lt. Col. Joseph Bogaoan, said former rebels revealed the identities of existing contacts of the remaining members of the NPA’s Apoy platoon in areas where they seek refuge to evade government forces.

“One of these contacts was identified as a trusted custodian of high-powered firearms and other war materials owned by the remnants of Apoy platoon. He provided crucial information to the government troops as to the location of these war materials in the upland Calingatnan and San Mateo villages in Borongan City, Eastern Samar,” Bogaoan said in a statement.

The materials seized recently include a serviceable US rifle caliber 5.56 mm M653; five long magazines and four short magazines for the M653; 248 rounds of 5.56 mm ammunition; 11 rounds of 7.62 mm a
mmunition; 10 rounds of caliber .38 ammunition; three rounds of 9 mm ammunition; a box for caliber .38 ammunition, and a bandoleer.

The success of this operation can be attributed to the local Army unit’s Project APOY. A Filipino term for fire, APOY stands for Advocating Programs that promote reconciliation and Optimizing gains Yielding to peace.

“It is a strategic initiative of the 802nd Infantry Brigade and the 78th Infantry Battalion that aims to persuade the remaining NPA members to abandon the armed struggle through the persuasion of their former comrades and supporters who have already surfaced and joined the mainstream of society,” he added.

Project APOY not only aims to dismantle insurgents but also focuses on rehabilitating former rebels and reintegrating them into their communities as productive citizens through regular workshops and debriefings.

Brig. Gen. Noel Vestuir, 802nd Infantry Brigade Commander, said the recovery of these war materials is a testament to the commitment of the former rebe
ls in helping the government attain peace.

With this initiative, government forces cultivated trust and confidence in former rebels, and in return, the latter gave actionable information, which has proven critical in the ongoing efforts to finally end the local communist armed conflict, according to Vestuir.

‘The successful execution of this operation underscores the importance of the support of former rebels in our campaign. They are more knowledgeable about the human and physical terrain in the areas they used to hide, and they are the best people that could help us in our efforts to convince their former comrades to join them in the mainstream of our society,’ Vestuir added.

The Apoy platoon has only 16 remaining members as of mid-2024.

Source: Philippines News Agency