Good conduct time allowance may be for sale inside Bilibid – Hontiveros

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Risa Hontiveros said on Monday, September 2, that there are indications the
Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) system is being corrupted and that it could be favoring powerful and
influential inmates such as convicted murderer and rapist Antonio Sanchez.
"Sanchez et al were not random beneficiaries, ang lumalabas po ay sila ay pinaboran, special treatment
ika nga (it looks like they were favored, recipients of special treatment), I'm talking about this system called
GCTA for sale," Hontiveros said during the Senate blue ribbon and justice committees' investigation into the
GCTA law.
Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Chief Nicanor Faeldon confirmed that since June 2019 when the Supreme
Court (SC) made the GCTA law retroactive, 200 convicts have been released.
Faeldon said they were screened by the Management, Screening and Evaluation Committee (MSEC) of
the BuCor.
Hontiveros asked if all 200 had no record of violation.
Faeldon said there is presumption of regularity in the screening done by the MSEC. (READ: Faeldon
ordered Sanchez release, but stopped it after outcry)

MISLEADING: Photos of 'UP students killed' after joining NPA

The caption on the post said, "Ang listahan ng mga UP students na sumali sa NPA, at namatay." (List of
UP students who joined the NPA and died)
Three of the supposed students in the photos were identified as Benjaline Hernandez, Recca Noelle
Monte, and Melissa Roxas.
The photo of Hernandez showed details about the date she was supposedly killed, along with her
affiliation. Next to her was a photo of Monte, which showed a message praising her for her contribution to the
cause.
Four of Roxas' pictures, on the other hand, were compared against each other to confirm her identity
through the earrings she was wearing and a mole on her neck.
The claim was posted on March 17, 2018. Data from the social media monitoring tool CrowdTangle
showed that it has since been shared for over 16,000 times with almost 3,000 reactions and 500 comments. It
resurfaced weeks after a senior high school student went "missing" and was allegedly kidnapped by Anakbayan.

Locsin warns PH will be 'deeply' affected by Saudi oil attacks

MANILA, Philippines – After drone attacks on Saudi Arabia's oil facilities slashed the output of the world's top
producer by half, Philippine Foreign Secretary Tedoro "Teddyboy" Locsin Jr said the incident will affect the
Philippines "deeply."
"This is serious," Locsin tweeted. "It will – not could – affect us deeply; to put it bluntly, an oil shortage
or steep rise in oil price will rock the Philippine boat and tip it over."
Oil prices soared more than 10% on Monday, September 16, after Tehran-backed Huthi rebels in
neighboring Yemen hit two sites owned by Saudi state-run oil giant Aramco on Saturday, September 14,
effectively shutting down 6% of the global oil supply. (READ: Drone strikes on Saudi Arabia ripple across oil
market, diplomacy)
Tensions also heightened as US President Donald Trump blamed Iran for the attacks and raised the
possibility of a military strike on the country.

African swine fever outbreak contained, says agriculture chief

MANILA, Philippines – Agriculture Secretary William Dar appealed to media and the general public not to ignite
fears regarding African swine fever (ASF), as unverified reports could cause "irreversible damage to the country's
P260-billion swine industry."
In a statement on Monday, September 16, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said the ASF episodes in
several areas in Bulacan and Rizal may be considered an outbreak, but not an epidemic. (READ: FAST FACTS:
What is African swine fever?)
Dar also said, "[The] ASF outbreak [is] managed, contained, and controlled in Rizal and Bulacan."
 An outbreak is a "sudden rise in the incidence of a disease” and typically is confined to a localized area
or a specific group of people.
Meanwhile, an epidemic is an outbreak of a contagious disease that has become more severe and less
localized.
The agency said ASF is already contained in Barangay Pritil, Guiguinto, Bulacan; and in several barangays
in Rodriguez, San Mateo, and Antipolo City, Rizal.
Dar said 7,416 pigs in the 1-kilometer radius in ASF areas in Rizal and Bulacan have already been
depopulated.
The DA has yet to determine the cause of death of several pigs in Quezon City.
Checkpoints and protocols were also enhanced. These are being done in partnership with local
government units, police, soldiers, and the private sector. (READ: African swine fever: Cebu bans live hog
imports from Luzon)
Continuous, strict surveillance is also being conducted in areas near ASF-infected barangays in Rizal and
Bulacan.
Dar assured the public that the outbreak will not affect the supply and prices of pork in the market. –
Rappler.com

QC culls pigs, adds checkpoints to help contain African swine fever

MANILA, Philippines – After 11 pigs from Barangay Bagong Silangan tested positive for African swine fever (ASF),
Quezon City prioritized the containment of the virus through culling pigs and stationing more checkpoints within
1 kilometer of the two ground zeros, Oriole Extension and Area 5.
In a statement released on Sunday, September 15, the city government said it requested help from the
Quezon City Police Department in adding these checkpoints.
Hogs within 1 kilometer of the two infected zones were automatically culled following standard
protocols for preventing the spread of the disease to nearby areas.
The culling of pigs from illegal backyard raisers in Barangay Bagong Silangan also began on September
15. Around 50 pigs were culled that afternoon.
Meanwhile, the City Veterinary Office aimed to intensify its monitoring of slaughterhouses as well as
major public markets in Commonwealth, Balintawak, Cubao, and Novaliches to prevent the entry of ASF-
infected meat and double dead meat or "Bocha."
The city government is also taking inventory of the piggeries in the locality, strict monitoring for
compliance with existing protocols and procedures.
Prior to the outbreak of ASF in the city, the local government had already begun to gradually phase out
piggeries in line with its land use plan that does not allow for any agricultural zones.
Affected piggery owners would receive financial aid and livelihood assistance. The city government also
plans to educate these owners about ASF and its prevention. (FAST FACTS: What is African swine fever?)
The Department of Agriculture confirmed the presence of ASF in several areas of the country, particularly
in the provinces of Rizal and Bulacan, last Monday, September 9,
ASF is a highly contagious viral disease that can affect pigs, warthogs, and boars, but does not pose a
threat to humans. – with reports from Loreben Tuquero/Rappler.com
PDEA says use of 'recycled drugs' vs suspects still 'rampant'

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) admitted that the practice of keeping
portions of seized drugs to plant evidence against suspects is still "rampant" among law enforcement agencies.
At the Senate hearing on PDEA"s proposed P2.497-billion budget on Monday, September 16, Senate
Minority Leader Franklin Drilon asked whether recycling drugs is still an issue today. PDEA chief Aaron Aquino
said yes.
"I received some information from assets, from other law enforcement agencies themselves…Hearing
these reports, it will just show that there's still recycling of drugs. I guess it's still rampant," Aquino said.
"When they seize drugs, maybe half of that wll be surrendered. Or 'yun yung papalabas nila na 'yun lang
ang na-seize nila. (Or they will make it appear that the amount of seized drugs is less.) While all the other ones
are being kept for other future operations, or worse, [are sold]," Aquino added.
Senator Panfilo Lacson, chairperson of the sub-committee hearing PDEA's proposed budget, asked:
"Medyo interesting (It's somehow interesting), [when you said] future operations. Meaning ipa-plant (it will be
used as planted evidence)?
Aquino responded: "Pwedeng pam-plant, sir. Pwedeng all kinds of operations." (It could be used to be
planted as evidence. It could be for all kinds of operations reations.)
Lacson, a former chief of the Philippine National Police, replied, "Either way, it's bad."
Aquino said that a Manila-based "drug queen" is being hunted for buying confiscated drugs from
operatives. He said that they want to "neutralize" her first before divulging more information about her.
To counter such practices, PDEA said they conduct joint operations with other agencies.
The Duterte administration's campaign against illegal drugs has claimed thousands of lives. The
government said that at least 5,500 people had been killed in legitimate police operations, as of June 30 this
year.
But the Commission on Human Rights said more than 27,000 people have died in the drug war.
The main argument used by law enforcement agencies to justify the killings is that targetted persons
fought back. (WATCH: War on drugs: 'Nanlaban') – Rappler.com