Serye ng pagpatay sa Negros pinaiimbestigahan na ng PNP

Joy Cantos (Pilipino Star Ngayon) - July 28, 2019 - 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Pinaiimbestigahan na ni PNP Chief Police General Oscar Albayalde ang serye ng mga
pagpatay sa Negros Oriental na ang tinatarget ay mga abogado, mga lokal na opisyal, educators, magsasaka at iba pa.

Sinabi ni PNP spokesman Police General Bernard Banac, ang direktiba ay ibinaba ni Albayalde kay Central Visayas
Police Director (Police Regional Office 7) Director Debold Sinas upang resolbahin at panagutin ang nasa likod ng
magkakasunod na krimen.

Ang Negros Oriental ay isinailalim sa full alert status ni Provincial Director Police Colonel Raul Tacaca bunga ng
sunud-sunod na mga pagpatay.

Nitong Hulyo 24 ay pinagbabaril at napatay si Atty. Anthony Trinidad sa Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental.

Nasundan ito ng pagpatay sa magkapatid na sina Arthur Cordevilla Bayawa, 55, principal sa Science High School at
Ardale Cordevilla Bayawa, 49, Curriculum Implementation Division (CID) Chief ng Department of Education
(DepEd) na pinasok sa bahay at pagbabarilin sa Brgy. Hibalyo, Guihulngan City.

Ilang oras matapos ito, pinagbabaril at napatay din ang Brgy. Chairman na si Romeo Alipan, 54, ng Brgy Poblacion sa
lungsod. Pinaslang din ang driver na si Ruben Eleuterio, 50, ng Brgy. Mabato, Ayungon.

Lotto, STL ipinatigil ni Duterte!

Malou Escudero (Pilipino Star Ngayon) - July 28, 2019 - 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — Dahil umano sa malalang korupsiyon, ipinahinto ni Pangulong Duterte ang lahat ng Lotto,
Small Town Lottery, Peryahan ng Bayan at iba pang kahalintulad na sugal sa bansa.

Sa kanyang special message kamakalawa, ng gabi, sinabi ni Pangulong Duterte na kanselado na lahat ng prangkisa,
lisensya o anumang ipinagkaloob ng Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) kaya maituturing ng iligal ang
anumang pangongolekta ng taya para sa alinmang nabanggit na sugal.

Anya, masyado nang malawak ang katiwalian na kahit ang mga korte ay sangkot at nagpapalabas ng mga injunctions
na nagiging sanhi para maparalisa ang gobyerno at magtuloy-tuloy ang korupsiyon.

“The ground is massive corruption involving all — pati the courts who issued the — repeatedly issued injunctions to
paralyze government and to allow corruption to thrive. Pending investigation, lahat ho ng laro ng Lotto, STL,
Peryahan ng Bayan or whatever nature,” sabi ng Pangulo.

Tinukoy din ng Pangulo ang gambling machine na Keno sa mga dapat ihinto at lahat ng gambling activities na nakuha
sa PCSO.
“Puro dayaan lahat at ‘yung mga kontrata ay parang — crafted in favor of corruption and to favor other corporations
and people. I will not allow it,” sabi ng Pangulo.

Hindi rin kikilalanin ng Pangulo ang anumang utos ng korte na magpapahinto sa gagawing imbestigayon sa
nangyayaring malawakang korupsiyon sa PCSO.

Partikular na inutusan ng Pangulo si PNP Chief General Oscar Albayalde na manguna sa pagpapasara o pagtanggal ng
lahat ng uri ng machines na ginagamit sa sugal at ipinag-utos kay AFP Chief of Staff General Benjamin Madrigal Jr.
na arestuhin ang mga mahuhuling magpapataya para sa lotto, STL, Peryahan ng Bayan o Keno.

“I will give them 24 hours to remove them from the public places. Tomorrow — ?beginning tomorrow, at sunrise
everything, all transactions and gaming, waging — wager of bets becomes illegal. And I am, I said, ordering the PNP
— the PNP Chief Albayalde to arrest anybody. And goes also for the military, si Madrigal, to arrest people engaged in
gambling activities in connection with the franchises, licenses, concessions granted by the PCSO,” sabi ng Pangulo.

Mabilis na tulong sa Batanes tiniyak ng Malacañang

Malou Escudero (Pilipino Star Ngayon) - July 28, 2019 - 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — Agad na ipinag-utos kahapon ni Pangulong Duterte sa mga ahensya ng gobyerno na
magpadala ng tulong sa mga biktima ng lindol sa Batanes partikular sa bayan ng Itbayat.

Ayon kay Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo, masusi ring binabantayan ng Pangulo ang sitwasyon at inatasan
na ang mga kinauukulang ahensiya ng gobyerno na tumulong katulad ng Office of the Civil Defense.

Sinabi ni Panelo na ang OCD ang nakikipag-koordinasyon sa mga local government units at Provincial Disaster Risk
Reduction and Management Council ng Batanes.

Tiniyak naman ni Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea bibisitahin ng Pangulo ang lugar na tinamaan ng lindol
kung saan 8 na ang naiulat na namatay kahapon.

Ayon pa kay Medialdea, nagtungo na sa Batanes ang Philippine Air Force C295 kahapon ng umaga para magdala ng
medical at rescue team.

Nauna rito, nagbabala ang Philvocs sa posibilidad na magkaroon ng mga serye ng aftershocks pero pinawi naman nila
ang posibilidad ng pagkakaroon ng tsunami.
Lotto tickets itago muna - PCSO
Mer Layson (Pilipino Star Ngayon) - July 28, 2019 - 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — Susunod ang Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) sa kautusan ni Pangulong
Duterte na suspindihin muna ang kanilang gaming activities, dahil na rin umano sa alegasyon ng katiwalian.

“Pursuant to the order of the President, suspending PCSOs gaming activities, the PCSO Board directs compliance to
said instruction until further notice,” ani PCSO General Manager Royina M. Garma.

Inabisuhan rin ni Garma ang kanilang valued customers na pansamantala munang suspendido ang lahat ng PCSO
games.

Pinayuhan nito ang lahat ng mga advance play tickets na hindi mabobola na itago muna ang kanilang tiket hanggang
wala pang inilalabas na bagong kautusan ang Pangulo hinggil sa isyu.

“All players with advance play tickets are advised to keep their tickets until further notice,” ani Garma.

Siniguro naman ni Garma na aapela sila sa Pangulo na maipagpatuloy ang pagsasagawa ng lahat ng kanilang gaming
activities para na rin umano sa interes ng PCSO, kanilang mga ahente at mga benepisyaryo.

Endo bill ibinasura ni Duterte

Rudy Andal, Malou Escudero, Gemma Garcia (Pilipino Star Ngayon) - July 27, 2019 - 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — Inihayag kahapon ng Malacañang na hindi nilagdaan ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte ang
Security of Tenure Bill (SOT) na mas kilala bilang “Anti-Endo Bill” na isa sa kanyang campaign promise na tapusin
ang endo (end of contract) pero na-veto ito, ayon kay Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo.

Ilang grupo ng mga negosyante ang nag-lobby kay Pangulong Duterte upang huwag pirmahan ang SOT dahil
mayroon na daw umiiral na batas para protektahan ang mga manggagawa mula sa illegal contractualization.

Sa veto message ni Pangulong Duterte sa Senate President at House Speaker na may petsang July 26, 2019 ay
ipinunto nito ang paniniyak ng kanyang commitment upang protektahan ang mga manggagawa sa kabila ng pag-veto
nito sa ‘anti-endo bill’.

“Gayunman, lagi nating layunin na tutukan ang pang-aabuso habang hinahayaan ang mga negosyo na gumawa ng mga
bagay na mapapakinabangan kapwa ng pangasiwaan at ng mga manggagawa,” paliwanag ng Pangulo sa kanyang veto
message.

Idiniin pa niya na mahigpit na ipinagbabawal ang labor-only contracting dahil labag ito sa batas bagkus ay dapat mga
legitimate job-contracting lamang ang papayagan.
Kung hindi inaksyunan ng Pangulo ang nasabing enrolled bill ay mag-lapsed into law ito ngayon (July 27) subalit
malakas ang pag-lobby ng mga negosyante sa Malacañang upang huwag lagdaan ang nasabing panukalang batas na
naglalayong tuldukan ang endo sa bansa.

Dismayado ang grupong Bayan Muna sa Kamara matapos na i-veto o ibasura kahapon ni Pangulong Duterte ang SOT.

Sinabi ni Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate na patunay lamang ang pag-veto ng Pangulo sa endo bill na isa na namang
pangako noong kampanya ang hindi natupad ng Presidente.

Iginiit pa ni Zarate na malabnaw na bersyon na nga lamang ng Anti-Endo Bill ang pinapipirmahan sa Pangulo ay hindi
pa nito sinuportahan sa halip ay mas binigyan pa ng halaga ang mga kapitalista kumpara sa mga mahihirap na
manggagawa.

Nagpahayag din ng pagkadismaya ang ilang senador matapos i-veto ni Duterte ang inaabangang pagpasa ng SOT bill.

Mismong si Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III ay nagpahayag ng pagkadismaya bagaman at aminado rin siya
na bahagi ng demokrasya ang pag-veto ng Pangulo.

Idinagdag ni Sotto hihilingin niya kay Senator Joel Villanueva na muling ihain ang panukala at bibigyang prayoridad
muli ito ng Senado.

Nauna nang nagpahayag ng pagkadismaya si Senator Joel Villanueva sa veto ng Pangulo ang kanyang panukalang
batas.

Tiniyak din ni Villanueva na hindi siya titigil at muling isusulong ang panukalang batas hangga’t hindi natutuldukan
ang “endo,” ang termino na ginagamit ng mga empleyado kapag natatapos na ang kanilang kontrata sa trabaho na
kalimitan ay tumatagal lamang ng anim na buwan.

Mabilis na tulong sa Batanes tiniyak ng Malacañang

Malou Escudero (Pilipino Star Ngayon) - July 28, 2019 - 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — Agad na ipinag-utos kahapon ni Pangulong Duterte sa mga ahensya ng gobyerno na
magpadala ng tulong sa mga biktima ng lindol sa Batanes partikular sa bayan ng Itbayat.

Ayon kay Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo, masusi ring binabantayan ng Pangulo ang sitwasyon at inatasan
na ang mga kinauukulang ahensiya ng gobyerno na tumulong katulad ng Office of the Civil Defense.

Sinabi ni Panelo na ang OCD ang nakikipag-koordinasyon sa mga local government units at Provincial Disaster Risk
Reduction and Management Council ng Batanes.

Tiniyak naman ni Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea bibisitahin ng Pangulo ang lugar na tinamaan ng lindol
kung saan 8 na ang naiulat na namatay kahapon.
Ayon pa kay Medialdea, nagtungo na sa Batanes ang Philippine Air Force C295 kahapon ng umaga para magdala ng
medical at rescue team.

Nauna rito, nagbabala ang Philvocs sa posibilidad na magkaroon ng mga serye ng aftershocks pero pinawi naman nila
ang posibilidad ng pagkakaroon ng tsunami.

Duterte stops all PCSO gaming activities including lotto, STL

By: Darryl John Esguerra - Reporter / @DJEsguerraINQ INQUIRER.net / 11:53 PM July 26, 2019

MANILA, Philippines—President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered all gaming activities of the Philippine Charity
Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), including lotto, stopped due to alleged “massive corruption” in the agency.
In a video message posted by Malacañang on Facebook, Duterte lamented how courts supposedly got into corruption
by issuing injunctions to stop the government from going after the perpetrators of fraudulent activities.

Following this announcement, Philippine National Police chief, Gen. Oscar Albayalde, told radio station DZMM early
Saturday that police teams would be deployed “first thing in the morning” to shut down lotto and other PCSO gaming
outlets throughout the country.

“I have today ordered the closure, the stoppage of all gaming schemes or whatever nature however done that got the
franchises to do so from the PCSO. The ground is massive corruption involving all…pati the courts who repeatedly
issued injunctions to paralyze government and to allow corruption to thrive,” Duterte said in the video posted late
Friday night.

Duterte’s order includes PCSO’s Lotto, Small Town Lottery (STL) and Peryahan ng Bayan.

“Pending investigation, lahat ho ng laro ng lotto, STL, Peryahan ng Bayan, or whatever nature, there’s one that ‘yung
gambling machine, Keno, I said all gaming activities. ‘Yung gambling, that got the franchise from (the) government
through PCSO, are, as of today, suspended or terminated because of massive corruption,” he said.

The President ordered Philippine National Police (PNP) chief General Oscar Albayalde and the military to arrest
anyone who would continue to operate beginning Saturday.

“I am ordering the PNP, PNP Chief Albayalde, to arrest anybody, and goes also for the military, to arrest people
engaged in gambling activities in connection with the franchises, licenses, concessions granted by the PCSO,” he said.

“I will give them 24 hours to remove them from public places. Tomorrow, beginning tomorrow at sunrise, everything,
all transactions and gaming, wager of bets, becomes illegal,” he continued.

The Chief Executive stressed that he would also not honor any court order from now on that would stop the
government from investigating the corruption allegations in the PCSO.
And if he would have his way, Duterte said he would close all forms of gambling in the Philippines but he will first
talk to Congress leaders about it.

“If I were to give my sentiment about gambling, mas gusto ko mawala ito lahat (I want them all gone). Kung meron
naman… I will, maybe, confer with leaders of Congress muna,” he added.

Duterte shutdown order stuns lottery operators

MANILA, Philippines — Marites, 47, woke up early on Saturday to collect the bets for Small Town Lottery (STL) in
her neighborhood in Booy village in Tagbilaran, Bohol, where she has been working as a kubradora (bet collector) for
about five years.

When she was about to hand over her collection, Marites was told by her coordinator to return the money to the
individual bettors because President Rodrigo Duterte had ordered a halt to all games operated by the Philippine
Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).

Without elaborating, the President cited “massive corruption” as the reason for his order, which sent police officers
scrambling to padlock lotto outlets nationwide and left an air of uncertainty among thousands who depend on the
state-run lottery for their livelihood.

In his video message aired on social media by the Presidential Communications Operations Office on Friday night, the
President said:

“Pending investigation, lahat po ng laro ng (all games on) lotto, STL, Peryahan ng Bayan, or whatever nature …. I
said all gaming activities… that got their franchise from government through PCSO are, as of today, suspended or
terminated because of massive corruption.”

Courts included
“So it becomes illegal because as of today all of those permits and concessions, and whatever are terminated,” he
added.

“The ground is massive corruption involving all, including the courts who repeatedly issued injunctions to paralyze
government and to allow corruption to thrive,” the President said.

Lotto and STL outlets nationwide were closed by the police, enforcing the President’s order on Saturday morning.

Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the President “will identify the culprits in due time and the full force
of the law will come crushing down on them.”

The PCSO was last rocked by controversy when the President fired Alexander Balutan as the agency’s general
manager on March 8.
He replaced Balutan with former Cebu police chief Royina Garma who assumed office last week. A news report
quoted her as saying that the President told her “to do what is right … for the PCSO.”

Keep the tickets

A large group of STL operators met with Garma on the night the President announced his order.

In a statement, the PCSO advised its customers that its “games are suspended, pursuant to the directive of President
Rodrigo Roa Duterte” and that “all players with advanced play tickets are advised to keep their tickets until further
notice.”

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra ventured to say that the President’s order could be “a temporary suspension
only.”

The impact of the order was immediately felt by game outlet operators and bet collectors.

Cesar Pamaong, a lotto operator in Barangay Cogon, also in Tagbilaran, had to close his outlet which he had been
operating since 1999.

In Quezon province, STL bet collector Corazon Jaime said in an interview, “We were all shocked. Some of us were
crying when we heard the news.”

Jaime is a bet collector employed by Pirouette Corp., the licensed STL operator in the province since 2006 when the
lottery was launched there by PCSO with the aim of eliminating the illegal numbers game “jueteng.”

Jaime went pleading for STL operations to be resumed in the province. “Many of us will go hungry, Tatay Digong,”
she said crying.
Juan Bandola, an operator of two lotto outlets in Legazpi City, Albay, said: “Just last week, I paid the fees for another
franchise, it should be refunded. How will we pay for the rental of space for our outlets if we will not operate
anymore. How can we get the return of our investment especially the franchise fee?”

Bandola said he has paid the Government Service Insurance System P25,500 as surety bond, apart from P3,750 each
for the renewal of application for lotto and Keno.

“What could we do? The order came from the OP (Office of the President)?” said an STL operator from Southern
Luzon who declined to be named.

Jueteng revival feared

Mario Avanzado, another STL bet collector from Quezon, said “we’re all former jueteng bet collectors. But we don’t
want to return to jueteng. We don’t want to become the target of police arrests again once the jueteng operator and
police officials disagree on the amount of bribe money.”
He said jueteng has long been out of business in the province since the introduction of STL.
“But with the order of Digong, jueteng will be surely resurrected and bribe money will change hands again,”
Avanzado said.
Just last month, the President said of the illegal numbers game that, “for as long as the economy does not really
provide food on the table for so many families, hayaan mo na lang ’yan. (Just leave it be.) …. Kasi hindi ko talaga rin
kaya. At pagka sinira ko ’yan, ang papalit sa apparatus niyan droga. (Because I cannot tackle that. And if I dismantle
it, drugs will replace that apparatus.) So choose between the lesser evil.”

The Federation of Free Workers warned that PCSO’s patrons might “use their betting money for illegal numbers
games.”

Impact on health program

Alan Tanjusay, spokesperson of the Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP),
pointed out that indigents who rely on PCSO’s revenues will be affected by Mr. Duterte’s order.

According to Balutan, about 1,500 indigents troop to PCSO daily to avail themselves of financial aid.

Last year, PCSO recorded an estimated profit of P64 billion. Thirty percent of this profit goes to the agency’s
Individual Medical Assistance Program, which is also one of the identified sources for the universal health care
(UHC) program.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III had earlier said the P195-billion program will be sourced from the national
budget and revenues from the “sin” taxes, as well as the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. and PCSO.

“We are evaluating the immediate effects of the ban [on PCSO games],” Dominguez said on Saturday.

Anthony Leachon of the Sin Tax Coalition said the President’s order “will definitely hurt the UHC implementation.”

But he added: “The management of sin tax funds and other funds should be managed well by reducing wastage … I’m
certain that DBM (Department of Budget and Management) and Congress will find a way to address this problem. We
need to plug the leaks. We can’t just raise funds.”

His fellow physician Minguita Padilla, coconvener of Doctors for Truth and Public Welfare, said, “[We] hope that the
cleanup [of the PCSO] will be swift so that the funding can commence soonest … It’s better to delay the
implementation of UHC in order to purge [agencies] of corrupt elements rather than rush its implementation under an
organization with pervasive corruption.”

Nearly 3,000 affected by Batanes twin quakes — NDRRMC

By: Neil Arwin Mercado - Reporter / @NAMercadoINQ INQUIRER.net / 02:39 PM July 28, 2019
MANILA, Philippines — The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Sunday
reported that nearly 3,000 people were affected by the twin quakes that hit Batanes on Saturday.

In its report as of Sunday, 8:00 a.m., the NDRRMC said the 2,963 victims were from five barangays (villages) in the
town of Itbayat, which was the hardest-hit town by the earthquake.

The victims are currently staying at the public market in Barangay San Rafael, NDRRMC reported.

The NDRRMC said the quake left eight casualties and 63 others sustaining injuries. One person, meanwhile, remains
missing.

Citing data from the Office of the Civil Defense, the quake, NDRRMC said, damaged 15 houses, two schools, and two
health facilities.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) meanwhile have deployed two search and rescue teams and one medical
team to help the local government.

The Department of Energy (DOE) has also assured the availability of generator sets and already coordinated with the
National Power Corporation (NPC) and the National Electrification Administration (NEA) for the resumption of
power in the town.

The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Department of Health (DOH), and Department of Public Works and Highways
(DPWH) are also monitoring and assessing the situation in Batanes.

A magnitude 5.4 hit the town on Saturday morning at 4:16 a.m. It was followed by a stronger magnitude 5.9 quake at
7:37 a.m. /je