2 LAWMAKERS CLASH AT ABS-CBN FRANCHISE HEARING

MANILA — The House of Representatives continued yesterday its hearing on the

franchise renewal application of broadcast giant ABS-CBN even after it

adjourned sine die.

Tension briefly gripped the fourth hearing on bills seeking to grant a new

25-year franchise to the network between Deputy Speaker Rodante Marcoleta

and Bayan Muna part-list Rep. Carlos Zarate during interpellation on ABS-CBN

chairman emeritus Eugenio Lopez III about his dual citizenship.

Marcoleta asked Lopez to recite the first line of Panatang Makabayan in an

apparent test of his allegiance to the Philippines with a side comment that

the latter should ask Zarate to help him out.

Zarate immediately reacted and questioned MarcoletaÂ’s comment, asking the

secretariat to strike it off the record.

Marcoleta did not want his comment removed from the record, but Zarate

insisted on his motion, saying he is not the subject of the hearing.

As the brief exchange between the lawmakers ensued, committee on good

government and public accountability chairman Jonathan Sy-Alvarado decided

to suspend the hearing to pacify the two who were just two seats apart.

Zarate stood up and approached Marcoleta, but was blocked by Alvarado.

It took about 20 minutes before the tension was cleared and for the hearing

to proceed.

MARCOLETA LABELS ABS-CBN REPORTER 'UN-FILIPINO' FOR BASING STORY ON PUBLIC

RECORDS

MANILA — Deputy Speaker Rodante Marcoleta (Sagip Party-list) called ABS-CBN

reporter Mike Navallo "un-Filipino" for a story that was released before the

lawmaker could hold a press conference that he asked the reporter to set up.

NavalloÂ’s exclusive report was based on legislative records, which are

public records.

The House of RepresentativesÂ’ Committees on Legislative Franchise and Good

Government and Public Accountability held a hearing on ABS-CBN franchise

bills on Monday.

In his lengthy interpellation Marcoleta took time to rail against Navallo,

who reported last week that the lawmaker previously filed a bill to allow

dual citizens to run for public office and to grant franchise to companies

that have had franchises for more than 50 years.

Marcoleta and other lawmakers have been pounding on US-born ABS-CBN chairman

Gabby Lopez's dual citizenship in the House hearings. Marcoleta had

previously and incorrectly claimed that the network can no longer apply for

a franchise because of a 50-year limit on the grant of franchises.

Marcoleta said Navallo asked for his side on the story, and both parties

agreed to conduct a Zoom interview the following morning, provided that the

interview should include other networks.

“He reported it on 'TV Patrol'. All that he wanted to clarify—he did not

give me time [to answer],” the lawmaker said.

"Allegiance po ay importante ma-instill natin sa ABSCBN, ang kaugaliang

Pilipino. Yung ginawa po ung reporter na 'yun na banatan po ako sa kabila ng

pagsang-ayon na yan kami ay magzuzoom kinabukasan, hindi po ugaling Pilipino

yun," he said.

MARCOLETA QUESTIONS ABS-CBN PROGRAMS ON SKY CABLE; NTC EXPLAINS LEGAL BASIS

MANILA - Deputy Speaker Rodante Marcoleta on Monday went after ABS-CBN's

cable franchise, questioning why its channels were still airing the

broadcast network's programs despite the shutdown.

Marcoleta said Sky Cable's separate 25-year operating franchise had expired

last March 30. Sky Cable includes ANC, the 24/7 English news channel of

ABS-CBN.

"Is the NTC (National Telecommunications Commission) aware of this? And if

they are aware, why is it that they consented in airing the programs?" he

asked during the joint committee hearing on ABS-CBN's application for a new

operating franchise.

NTC Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba informed congressmen of an executive order

by former President Corazon Aquino that removed the franchise requirement

for cable TV operators.

Executive Order No. 205, issued on Jan. 30, 1987, opened the country's cable

antenna television system to all Filipino citizens or "corporations,

cooperatives or associations wholly-owned and managed by such citizens"

based on a certificate of authority from the NTC.

As a result, cable TV operators no longer presented legislative franchises

when filing applications at the NTC, said Cordoba.

"Lumalabas po sa EO ay parang tinanggal po ng EO ang requirement ng

prangkisa para po sa mga cable TV operators," he said.

Rep. Jose Antonio Sy-Alvarado, chairman of the committee on good government,

raised the idea of "regaining" the congressional power over broadcast

franchises for cable TV operators.

Under EO 205, a certificate of authority from the NTC was good for 15 years

and could be renewed.

LOPEZ: ‘US CITIZENSHIP AN ACCIDENT’

During the hearing, Lopez told lawmakers that he considers himself a

Filipino “in thought, in word and in deed” and that his American citizenship

was just an accident.

“My being a US citizen is only a consequence of my father going to school in

America. So why is an accident by nature be the defining issue about whether

I am a Filipino or not? ShouldnÂ’t it be based on my actions or what I have

done?” he stressed.

Lopez, who earlier admitted being a dual citizen of the US and the

Philippines, explained that he only lived in the US during the martial law

years under the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, and completed his college

and graduate degrees there.

“Other than that, I have lived my whole life in the Philippines... In

thought, in word and deed, I am po a Filipino citizen,” he said.

Lopez described his American citizenship as an "accident" having been born

in the United States in 1952. But he's also a Filipino citizen having been

born to Filipino parents.

"My own actions speak for themselves over the last 35 years. I have been a

Filipino and I am proud to be a Filipino. All you have to do is look at my

record," he said.

Lopez further revealed that he regularly paid “all the taxes that are due in

the Philippines” and that he paid income tax to the US “only after all the

taxes in the Philippines are paid.”

Lastly, the ABS-CBN executive stressed that he only used his US passport for

convenience whenever he goes back to the US, or to Europe, Japan and other

countries that do not require visas for American citizens.

He pointed out that he also uses his Philippine passport when traveling to

Southeast Asia countries for the same reason.

Meanwhile, his lawyer Mario Bautista insisted that there is no existing law

prohibiting a Filipino with dual citizenship from owning media companies.

“It is stated in the law that the only requirement for media ownership is to

be a Filipino. And in our research we did not see violation of any law when

Mr. Lopez became a stockholder of a mass media company,” he argued during

the hearing.

“There is no law saying the owner should be only a Filipino and not a dual

citizen of another country,” the corporate lawyer of the broadcast firm

pointed out.

WHO SAYS CORONAVIRUS SITUATION 'WORSENING' WORLDWIDE

The World Health Organization said Monday that the coronavirus pandemic

situation was worsening around the globe, as it warned against complacency.

The WHO said it had recorded its highest daily tally of new infections, with

COVID-19 raging in the Americas.

And as mass protests for racial justice sweep across the United States and

beyond, the United Nations' health agency urged anyone demonstrating to do

so safely.

The novel coronavirus has killed more than 403,000 people out of at least

seven million infected since the outbreak emerged in China last December,

according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP.

After East Asia, Europe became the epicentre of the disease, but has now

been overtaken by the Americas.

"Although the situation in Europe is improving, globally it is worsening,"

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual news conference in

Geneva.

"More than 100,000 cases have been reported on nine of the past 10 days.

Yesterday, more than 136,000 cases were reported -- the most in a single day

so far.

He said that almost 75 percent of Sunday's cases came from 10 countries --

mostly in the Americas and South Asia.

Tedros said that in countries where the situation was improving, "the

biggest threat is now complacency", adding that "most people globally are

still susceptible to infection".

"More than six months into this pandemic, this is not the time for any

country to take its foot off the pedal," he said.

Turning to the wave of protests sparked by killing of George Floyd on May

25, Tedros encouraged active surveillance of the virus to ensure it does not

rebound, especially in the context of mass gatherings.

"WHO fully supports equality and the global movement against racism. We

reject discrimination of all kinds," he said.

"We encourage all those protesting around the world to do so safely.

"As much as possible, keep at least one metre from others, clean your hands,

cover your cough and wear a mask if you attend a protest."

"Stay home if you are sick and contact a health care provider," he added.

COVID-19-INFECTED FILIPINOS ABROAD BREACH 5,400-MARK

With 13 new confirmed cases, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases

among overseas Filipinos across the four main geographic regions reached

5,405 Monday.

One new death was recorded in the Americas, bringing the death toll to 371

while no new recoveries were recorded.

"The DFA, through its Foreign Service Posts, continues to monitor the status

of our nationals and stands ready to assist returning Filipinos affected by

the COVID-19 pandemic," the DFA said.

THE REST

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FACEBOOK TAKING DOWN IMPOSTOR ACCOUNTS

MANILA — Social media company Facebook is undertaking a massive effort to

investigate as well as move against the creation of cloned accounts.

Commissioner Raymund Liboro of the National Privacy Commission said Facebook

Philippines has advised him that the taking down of “impostor” accounts is

ongoing and that the network has tapped its offices in the US and in Dublin,

Ireland to do the job.

“They are acting on the complaints, numerous impostor accounts have

already been taken down. If they file a complaint on it, it gets on queue,

it gets acted upon,” Liboro said.

He urged the cloned users to avoid mass reporting.

“Reporting it once is enough to avoid their system getting clogged. They

noticed cases of mass reporting or multiple complaints. Just limit your

complaint to one. TheyÂ’re already taking down numerous impostor accounts and

they’re still acting on the rest,” Liboro added.

SURGE OF CLONE ACCOUNTS MIGHT BE RELATED TO DATA ACCESS: ANALYST

MANILA - The surge of clone accounts on Facebook following protests against

the anti-terror bill last week may be about data access, a communications

expert said Tuesday as he urged the public to demand information from the

social media giant and investigators.

The creation of dummy accounts was widely used in the 2016 national

elections but Facebook has since made it harder to create these accounts,

causing disinformation campaigners to abandon the tactic, according to

Jonathan Ong, associate professor of communication at the University of

Massachusetts Amherst.

"That to me is the puzzle around this, why was this done. Was it someone

flexing what I can do at a massive scale pero hindi pa ito ang endgame niya.

It might be around control about peopleÂ’s data, thatÂ’s whatÂ’s more

concerning for me," he told ANC.

"Rather than being around a political narrative, could this be someone

showing I actually have access to people's data and information and thatÂ’s

what we should demand investigators and platforms like Facebook to tell us

if thereÂ’s any kind of compromise around our data."

Datasets of people who signed petitions against the measure may have been

compromised, Ong said.

"It could be other datasets. WeÂ’re still unsure. We need to demand answer

from Facebook and investigators," he said.

The massive creation of duplicate accounts could also be a campaign of

disinformation campaigners or data analytics firms to gain attention of

potential clients, Ong said.

The incident could also be a glitch, as earlier suggested by the National

Bureau of Investigation, and someone is riding on it to intimidate vocal

critics, he added.

Facebook said it was looking into the matter while the National Privacy

Commission ordered it to report its findings.

DILG SAYS POLICE CAN NOW GIVE TRAVEL PASSES

Chiefs of police can now issue travel passes, which will cut down

bureaucracy as the Philippines restarts its economy under relaxed lockdowns

against the coronavirus pandemic, the interior department said Wednesday.

Those who want to cross checkpoints were previously required to coordinate

with the police, which will then inform their regional counterparts and the

local governments responsible for issuing travel authority.

"Iyong travel pass po ay puwede nang i-issue ng chief of police... Igagalang

na po iyan sa kahit ano mang checkpoint sa buong bansa," said Interior

Undersecretary and Spokesperson Jonathan Malaya.

"That will reduce the bureaucracy," he added.

OVER 2,000 COMPANIES DECLARED PERMANENT CLOSURE, REDUNDANCY OR RETRENCHMENT:

DOLE

Nearly 70,000 Filipinos have lost their jobs after thousands of businesses

here in the country ceased their operations due to the impact of the

COVID-19 pandemic. But an employer's group warns companies who will declare

bankruptcy may be unable to pay workers' separation benefits.

NEARLY 3,700 CASES OF VIOLENCE VS WOMEN, CHILDREN RECORDED DURING VIRUS

LOCKDOWN

MANILA — Close to 3,700 cases of violence against women and children have

been reported to the police since the implementation of community quarantine

in March to slow the spread of the coronavirus disease, President Rodrigo

Duterte said.

In his 11th weekly report to Congress, the chief executive said the

Philippine National Police logged 1,945 cases of violence against women and

1,754 cases of violence against children while the country is under

quarantine.

As the coronavirus pandemic rages on, reports of domestic violence are

increasing around the world.

Last week, Metro Manila—the center of the nation’s outbreak—shifted to more

relaxed general community quarantine. Other areas under GCQ include regions

of Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Central Visayas; provinces of Pangasinan and

Albay; and cities of Baguio, Iloilo, Zamboanga and Davao.

Other parts of the country, meanwhile, have been placed under modified GCQ,

the last quarantine scenario before the so-called “new normal.”

Duterte said the PNP Women and Children Protection Desks are working closely

with local government units to ensure the welfare of women and children are

protected.

He added that the Philippine Commission on Women, through the Inter-Agency

Council on Violence against Women and Children secretariat, has been

“actively” responding to inquiries received through various electronic

platforms.

“Moreover, the PCW continues to implement its VAW Referral System, which

provides for a national mechanism for monitoring and reduction of

gender-based violence,” the president said.

The Commission on Human Rights also launched an online platform where people

can report incidents of gender-based violence.

MGCQ OR GCQ IN METRO MANILA? FURTHER REVIEW NEEDED

MANILA — Metro Manila has “even” chances of being downgraded to the most

lenient modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) or remaining under

general community quarantine (GCQ), Malacañang said yesterday.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said while a downward trend in the

increase of coronavirus cases has been observed, Metro Manila, which has the

bulk of infections, has to be examined more closely.

Roque said there would be new classifications in different parts of the

country on June 15.

“It’s an even chance I would say, but we will look at the data because you

know that the center of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is Metro

Manila,” Roque said at a press briefing. “So I would say that it is a safe

conclusion that there would be a reclassification (of some areas) except

Metro Manila, which is a different case. So I think Metro Manila will have

to be examined closer to determine whether it can shift to MGCQ next week.”

He said there is a possibility that the next meeting of the Inter-Agency

Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases may still be held in Davao

City. President Duterte has been in the southern city since May 30.

“Whether it be in Manila or Davao, he continues to discharge his function

including meeting with select members of the IATF as usual,” the Palace

spokesman said. Of the more than 21,000 COVID-19 cases in the Philippines,

more than half or 12,000 came from Metro Manila.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

'A SOLDIER'S HEART' CAST GEARING UP FOR KAPAMILYA CHANNEL RETURN

MANILA — The cast and crew of "A Soldier's Heart" are gearing up for the

military drama's return via Kapamilya Channel.

"A Soldier's Heat" was among the ABS-CBN programs that halted production in

mid-March amid the coronavirus pandemic. Its return was further held off

with the government shutdown of ABS-CBN's broadcast operations in May.

Last week, "A Soldier's Heart" was announced as part of the maiden lineup of

Kapamilya Channel, alongside other well-loved ABS-CBN shows, both current

and classics.

When it returns on June 15, "A Soldier's Heart" will air episodes that have

already been finished, leading to the series' second book.

"Ang dami pa naming inihanda bago mag-lockdown na hindi naipalabas, na

inaabangan ng mga tao," actor Nash Aguas said in a "Rated K" interview

released on Sunday.

"Hindi man lang kasi nag-end nang maayos, kasi biglang nawala, eh! Ngayon,

at least may closure, makikita nila kung ano 'yung mangyayari sa Book 2."

Actor Jerome Ponce teased a nearing "big twist" in the story.

"Noong nakita namin 'yung teaser ng mga ilalabas sa June 15, doon ako

na-excite. Mas intense!" he said.

Lead star Gerald Anderson, meanwhile, expressed gratitude to loyal viewers

who have been clamoring for the continuation of "A Soldier's Heart."

"Sa mga nag-aabang po sa amin, sinisigurado namin sa inyo na itong mga

susunod na mapapanood niyo, napaka exciting," he said.

"Before all this happened, sobrang thankful kami sa lahat ng suporta niyo sa

amin at pagbubutihan namin lalo pag nag-start na kami ulit."

Aside from "A Soldier's Heart," current ABS-CBN dramas returning via

Kapamilya Channel are "FPJ's Ang Probinsyano" and "Love Thy Woman."

Viewers can also look forward to new episodes of "The Voice Teens," "It's

Showtime," and "ASAP Natin 'To," among others.

Kapamilya Channel will be available starting June 13 on SKY, Cablelink, G

Sat, and most member-cable operators of the Philippine Cable Television

Association (PCTA) nationwide.

INDICATORS

FOREX $1 = P 49.90

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Your life is not yours if you always care what others think. – Unknown