DUTERTE: US WANTS STRONGER DEFENSE TIESMANILA — The United States has been trying to reach out to the Philippinegovernment for newer and stronger defense ties since President Duterte’sabrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) three weeks ago.Emerging from a closed-door meeting with US Ambassador Sung Kim andAmbassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez last night at Malacañang, Duterteagain defended his move to terminate the two-decade old agreement.Duterte said he reiterated to Kim that he needed to get things done withregard to the VFA to prove a point that he is saving his country from thescourge of illegal drugs.“It came to a fore, yung alitan ko sa kanila. Tinanggal ko ang VFA, silanaman ngayon ang lapit ng lapit (my tiff with them. I removed the VFA, nowthey keep coming to me),” Duterte said in remarks last night at Malacañangbefore newly sworn officials.Kim was at Malacañang for his farewell call since he has been designated asnew US ambassador to Indonesia.“I repeated, how could it be wrong? When can it be wrong? If I said, ‘do notdestroy my country I will kill you’. Who can debate with that? That ispreservation of my people,” Duterte said.“If you destroy society, what will be left to us? We are poor… I told him,”the President said.CAYETANO BACKERS TO NAME NAMES IN HOUSE COUP TRYMANILA - A lawmaker on Wednesday confirmed that some congressmen areplotting to oust Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano from post, even using thenon-hearing of the ABS-CBN franchise application renewal as an issue."If you instigate a coup and it succeeded, iba 'yung storya. Ngayon, nahulika ang sasabihin wala. Si Speaker mismo nagsabi at least 20 congressmenconfirmed personally, by text that there was a plot," Deputy Speaker forFinance Luis Raymund Villafuerte said on ANC's Headstart.Villafuerte said the coup plotters were offering chairmanship posts andenticing colleagues to join them with additional budget."Meron, kasi may inofferan na: 'O majority leader sumama ka, o accountschairman sa'yo 'to. O, ikaw ma-reretain ka, o ito sa'yo.' In due time, wewill name them and members of Congress alam naman kung sino ang plotters,"he said.SARA DUTERTE, PULONG DISAGREE ON ABS-CBN FRANCHISEMANILA — The children of President Duterte are apparently not on the samepage regarding the franchise renewal of broadcast giant ABS-CBN.While Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte has publicly supported the renewal ofthe network’s 25-year franchise, her brother Deputy Speaker Paolo Dutertehas silently opposed the measure seeking temporary extension of thefranchise in the House of Representatives.The STAR learned that the representative of Davao City’s first district wasinstrumental in blocking the proposition of some House members to come upwith a joint resolution extending the ABS-CBN franchise after expiration onMay 4.At least two insiders revealed that almost 80 congressmen in the “supermajority” coalition already expressed support for the joint resolutionsfiled by Cebu Rep. Raul del Mar and Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez.The resolutions sought to extend the franchise either until 2021 or 2022while the House deliberates on the measure.But most of those House members withdrew their support after Rep. Dutertesimply posted an emoticon in their Viber group indicating that he waswatching over them, according to the sources who requested anonymity.“They saw it as official position not just of the House leadership but ofthe President as well,” a member of the bloc bared to The STAR.Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman earlier claimed that the resolution already had thesupport of some 90 House members – both in the majority and minority blocs.SENATORS EYE MEASURE TO 'STOP' POGOS AMID SPATE OF 'ILLICIT' ACTIVITIESMANILA - Senators on Tuesday agreed to craft a measure that would declare as"illegal" the business of Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO) afterincidents of Chinese-related money laundering, corruption and prostitutionwere raised in the plenary.Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon asked his colleagues to "consider"the adoption of a concurrent resolution that would "stop" POGOs after Sen.Richard Gordon delivered a privilege speech about crimes linked to eitherChinese nationals or the offshore gaming industry."These shenanigans that we see here all arise from the policy decision ofallowing online gaming operations to stay here... Should we allow theoperations of these POGOs with all the illicit activities that come withit?" Drilon said."We should have all options on the table including passing legislationdeclaring it as illegal," he said."The theory of the Chinese government is if it is illegal in my country,then it should be illegal for Chinese citizens to do the illegal thingoutside its borders," he said.Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri and opposition senators RisaHontiveros and Francis Pangilinan backed Drilon's suggestion, noting thateven the Chinese foreign ministry earlier "welcomed" the government'sdecision to temporarily halt the issuance of POGO licenses."I personally will be one with my colleagues if it will be the sense of theSenate to clamp down on their compatriots because of their illegalactivities here," Zubiri said."I join the majority leader if there is a sense of the senate resolution, wewill support it," Pangilinan said.DOH SEEKS P2-B CORONAVIRUS FUND AS MEDICAL SUPPLIES DEPLETE GLOBALLYMANILA - The Department of Health is seeking some P2 billion funds inpreventing the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as medicalsupplies are rapidly depleting globally, its chief said Wednesday.President Rodrigo Duterte has given his consent for the proposedsupplemental budget but it still needs the approval of Congress, HealthSecretary Francisco Duque said.At least 2 lawmakers have filed measures for an additional P2 billion budgetfor the DOH.The agency, in the meantime, can use some P530 million allotted for medicalequipment by the Department of Budget and Management, Duque added."Nagkakaroon ng worldwide shortage, syempre inuuna nila (supplier) ngayonkung saan may local transmission," he told radio DZMM."Pero sabi ko kailangan araw-arawan pukpukin natin ang supplier. Kailanganang demand natin mapagbigyan."The agency is waiting for the delivery of some P95 million worth of personalprotective equipment for its health workers, Duque said."This is the time to do all massive preparation dahil wala pang mga pasyente(because there are no patients yet)," he said.The country has so far recorded 3 cases of the virus, all of whom weretravelers from Wuhan, China, where the outbreak originated. Of this figure,2 have recovered and returned to their nation, while 1 died.The Philippines has yet to report a local transmission of the virus, whichDuque attributed to the country's early response.ACTIVISTS WHO FAILED TO GET PROTECTION FROM COURTS NOW FACING PERJURYCHARGESMANILA - Ten human rights defenders who initially sought but failed toobtain protection from the courts against alleged threats and attacks fromgovernment forces are now facing charges for allegedly lying in their ownpetition.Charged with perjury before a Quezon City metropolitan trial court wereElisa Tita Lubi, Cristina Palabay, Roneo Clamor, Gabriela Krista Dalena,Edita Burgos, Jose Mari Calleung and Wilfredo Ruazol of rights groupKarapatan.Also charged were Joan May Salvador and Gertrudes Libang of Gabriela and Sr.Emma Cupin, a 63-year-old nun who belongs to the Rural Missionaries of thePhilippines (RMP).Lubi and Palabay are the chairperson and secretary general of Karapatan,respectively, while Salvador is the secretary general of Gabriela. Burgos isthe mother of missing activist Jonas Burgos.Eight of the 10 accused posted an P18,000-bail on Monday. Palabay and Cupinare outside Metro Manila.CHAMPION ROWING TEAM OF CANCER SURVIVORS ALSO BATTLES PLASTIC POLLUTIONCEBU — Living a full, inspiring life as a dragonboat team after a cancerdiagnosis is one feat that the Cebu Pink Paddlers have ticked off their “ToDo” list. But the ladies have taken on another challenge: Advocate and workfor cleaner waters.When the team headed out to the Mactan Channel for their training earlyThursday morning, they did not only bring their paddles. They brought alongsacks and tongs to pick up trash floating in the waters too."We started the clean up drive last October 2019, in line with Breast CancerMonth. We see a lot of garbage during our training so we thought that it’stime to act and give back to the Mother Nature," Coach Christian Ian Sysaid.On the first day that the Paddlers conducted their clean-up drive, the teamfilled 21 sacks of trash.

WHAT MANNY PACQUIAO WANTS TO TELL SARAH G, MATTEOMANILA -- Those angered by the overprotectiveness of Sarah Geronimo'smother, Divine Geronimo, are not without reason.But that does not mean that the pop star should echo this "hate" towards hermom, according to Sen. Manny Pacquiao, as he was asked about the hot topicin a radio interview this Tuesday.Speaking on DZMM's "Dos Por Dos," Manny shared that he had a similarexperience with his own mother, Dionisia Pacquiao.The senator recalled that his parents, back then, wanted him to marryanother woman, and not Jinkee, his now-wife.This feud of theirs lasted until his wedding day with Jinkee, which MommyDionisia defiantly decided to miss."Isa lang ang masasabi ko sa kanila --kahit ganun pa man iyong mga magulango mga biyenan ninyo ay mahalin ninyo," he said, talking to Sarah and herhusband, actor Matteo Guidicelli.He advised them: "Huwag kayong magtanim ng galit kasi ang mga magulang aydapat minamahal at iniintindi."Manny said that one of the best ways the couple could do to prove that theymade the right decision is to live a happy married life, before encouragingthem to have kids."Kung mag-aaway kayo at magiging magulo iyong pamilya ninyo, ang lalabas natama eh iyong magulang ninyo. So ipakita ninyo na karapat-dapat kayongdalawa at masaya kayong dalawa hanggang sa magkaroon kayo ng anak," he said.Manny and his wife Jinkee have been married since they were 19.Manny also told Sarah's mother to just support the happiness of her child."Pagdating ng panahon ay ayaw mo ba magkaroon ng magandang pamilya iyonganak mo?" he asked. "So suportahan na lang. At least nagmamahalan iyongdalawa."SARAH G'S FORMER BODYGUARD SETTLES FOR P200,000MANILA – Jerry Tamara, the former closed-in security detail of SarahGeronimo, has agreed to settle and will not file any formal charges againstMatteo Guidicelli in exchange for P200,000.This, after Tamara accused Guidicelli of punching him in the throat on thenight the actor secretly married Geronimo in Taguig City last February 20.As seen in a video uploaded by Raffy Tulfo’s team, the radio hostaccompanied Tamara to the Viva Entertainment office last February 26supposedly to meet with the newlyweds and the company's founder and chairmanVic del Rosario.Upon their arrival at the Viva headquarters, del Rosario informed Tamarathat Guidicelli and Geronimo could not make it since the two were still inthe middle of their respective work commitments.Tamara and Del Rosario then had a closed-door meeting where Geronimo’sformer bodyguard allegedly asked for a hefty amount of P1.5 million.Tulfo reported that del Rosario made a counter offer of P100,000, whichTamara refused.According to Tulfo, Tamara was decided on settling the matter even withoutany money involved as long as Guidicelli would apologize to him in the TV5compound.Tulfo then informed Tamara that this is highly improbable because Guidicelliand Geronimo are both stars of ABS-CBN, which is a rival network.In the same video, Tamara also revealed that Geronimo’s mother Divine toldhim not to settle with Guidicelli.“Dapat nasa proseso daw. 'Yung ginawa ni Sir Matteo, dapat panagutan angpangyayari at malinis ang pangalan,” he said.When asked if Mrs. Geronimo has been dictating his decisions, Tamara said:“Hindi po sir. Kusang loob ko talaga sir na pumunta sa inyo. Sa akin namansir, gusto ko naman talaga maayos na para wala ng gulo. Gusto ko rinmakaharap sila Ma’am Sarah at Sir Matteo talaga.”No agreement was reached on February 26, but Tulfo was informed by Viva’sJay Montelibano two days later that Tamara had already accepted an amount ofP200,000 as a settlement.NBA SCORES MARCH 2FINAL    1    2    3    4    Tteam logo Jazz 38-22    31    28    35    32    126team logo Cavaliers 17-44    25    26    31    31    113SCORING LEADERSB. Bogdanovic UTA28 PTS, 7 REB, 6 ASTC. Sexton CLE32 PTS, 5 REB, 3 ASTFINAL    1    2    3    4    Tteam logo Trail Blazers 27-35    35    34    23    38    130team logo Magic 27-34    28    30    30    19    107SCORING LEADERSC. McCollum POR41 PTS, 5 REB, 5 ASTN. Vucevic ORL30 PTS, 11 REB, 2 ASTFINAL    1    2    3    4    Tteam logo Rockets 39-21    31    32    28    32    123team logo Knicks 19-42    36    37    28    24    125SCORING LEADERSJ. Harden HOU35 PTS, 2 REB, 8 ASTR. Barrett NY27 PTS, 5 REB, 5 ASTFINAL    1    2    3    4    Tteam logo Bucks 52-9    26    26    18    19    89team logo Heat 39-22    31    22    28    24    105SCORING LEADERSB. Lopez MIL21 PTS, 6 REB, 0 ASTJ. Butler MIA18 PTS, 6 REB, 7 ASTFINAL    1    2    3    4    Tteam logo Grizzlies 30-31    24    28    32    43    127team logo Hawks 19-44    23    26    19    20    88SCORING LEADERSG. Dieng MEM17 PTS, 10 REB, 1 ASTT. Young ATL19 PTS, 1 REB, 2 ASTFINAL    1    2    3    4    Tteam logo Mavericks 37-25    29    29    17    32    107team logo Bulls 21-40    19    29    33    28    109SCORING LEADERST. Hardaway Jr. DAL26 PTS, 1 REB, 3 ASTC. White CHI19 PTS, 6 REB, 5 ASTFINAL    1    2    3    4    Tteam logo Pacers 37-24    26    40    26    24    116team logo Spurs 25-34    34    23    27    27    111SCORING LEADERSM. Brogdon IND26 PTS, 6 REB, 7 ASTP. Mills SA24 PTS, 0 REB, 1 AST