PALACE HAILS FRONTLINERS AS MODERN-DAY HEROES ON RIZAL'S 159TH BIRTH

ANNIVERSARY

MANILA-- Malacañang on Friday hailed Filipinos leading the fight against the

COVID-19 pandemic as modern-day heroes as the Philippines marked the 159th

birth anniversary of Jose Rizal.

Filipinos, particularly the youth, should emulate Rizal, to be "agents of

genuine transformation for a better Philippines," Presidential Spokesman

Harry Roque said.

"This occasion reminds us of Dr. Rizal's young life, dedicated to service,

which rings a bell in these challenging times," Roque said in a statement.

"We are proud to see today modern-day heroes -- our courageous frontliners

-- who rise up to the challenge and serve as beacons of hope to a people

weary and fearful of the present global health scare," he added.

Born in 1861, Rizal is widely regarded as the Philippines' national hero.

His novels "Noli Me Tangere" and "El Filibusterismo" sparked the Filipino

revolution against Spanish colonizers.

The birth anniversary of Rizal is also a special non-working holiday in his

birthplace Laguna.

GMA NETWORK, OPERATING FOR 70 YEARS, SAYS IT DIDN'T VIOLATE 50-YEAR SINGLE

FRANCHISE CAP

MANILA -- GMA Network, in operation for 70 years, said Friday it did not

violate the 50-year limit on the life of broadcast franchises.

The broadcaster said it secured 25-year franchises in 1992 and 2017, both of

which did not exceed 50 years at a time. The moves were pursuant to the 1987

Constitution, it said.

GMA said it operated from 1950 and first obtained a franchise under Act No.

3846 and later under Presidential Decree 576-A. It said its articles of

incorporation were amended pursuant to the Corporation Code of the

Philippines.

"GMA Network has consistently complied with all requirements related to its

70 years of operations," the company said in a stock-exchange filing.

SAGIP party-list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta earlier raised the 50-year limit

during the franchise renewal hearing of ABS-CBN Corp, which has been

operating for under 70 years.

During the most recent hearing last June 17, Marcoleta said he would

"concede that the 50-year limit is subject to the discretion of the state."

ABS-CBN went off air on May 5, a day after its franchise expired after the

National Telecommunications Commission ordered it to "cease and desist"

operations.

OMBUDSMAN TO SUBPOENA RECORDS FROM DOH, DBM TO FIND OUT WHERE COVID-19 FUNDS

WENT

MANILA, — Ombudsman Samuel Marites on Friday said that his office will

issue subpoenas to the Department of Budget and Management and the

Department of Health to investigate where the budget for the country's

COVID-19 response went.

Martires told CNN Philippines that his office is summoning documents from

DBM Secretary Wendel Avisado and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III'a

offices as part of its probe on the government's pandemic response.

The Ombudsman previously said that he ordered the creation of two

investigating teams to look into the following issues:

Delayed procurement of [Personal] Protective Equipment and other medial

gears for healthcare workers

Alleged lapses and irregularities that led to death of health workers and

rising deaths and infections among medical frontliners

Inaction in the release and processing of compensation for healthcare

workers who were severely ill with COVID-19 and who died

Confusing and delayed reporting of COVID-19 deaths and confirmed cases

He added that his office started the probe prior to the March 15 lockdown,

but investigators "were given a runaround by some DOH officials and

personnel by referring us from one department or office to another."

INFIRMITIES THAT RIGHTS EXPERT FLAGGED IN HUMAN SECURITY ACT ALSO IN

ANTI-TERRORISM BILL

MANILA, — Potential constitutional infirmities that a rights lawyer flagged

in the Human Security Act of 2007 are still found in the anti-terrorism

bill, which is waiting for the presidentÂ’s signature.

The Palace said that President Rodrigo Duterte is "inclined" to sign the

proposed Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 that he previously certified urgent and

that seeks to repeal the HSA.

The law, enacted in 2007 and now said to be the most lenient in the world,

has "glaring questions of legality," the legal expert said.

In “The Human Security Act and the IHL Law of the Philippines: Of security

and insecurity”, a chapter included in “Global Anti-Terrorism Law and

Policy”, the lawyer examined the compatibility of the HSA with International

Humanitarian Law.

Cambridge University Press first published the book in 2005 and a second

edition was released in 2012.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, then-assistant professor at the

University of the Philippines College of Law, was among its contributors.

Roque was also legal counsel of petitioners who fought for the revocation of

the law before the Supreme Court. The petition was dismissed as the tribunal

held that "possibility of abuse...does not avail to take the present

petitions out of the realm of the surreal and merely imagined."

TRILLANES DARES MALACAÑANG: LET ROBREDO LEAD COVID-19 TASK FORCE

MANILA, — Former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV dared the government to appoint

Vice President Leni Robredo to lead the Inter-Agency Task Force for the

Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

“If Malacañang really wants to flatten the curve, then it should appoint

[Robredo] to be the IATF chair,” Trillanes said in a statement Friday.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III sits as chair of the task force, with

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles as his co-chairperson.

Trillanes added in Filipino: “If [Robredo] would lead and run the IATF, it

can do more and surely, we would have better campaign against COVID-19.”

Trillanes also slammed presidential spokesperson Harry Roque for saying

Robredo should offer solutions instead of criticizing the government over

its COVID-19 response.

In an interview with ANC on Wednesday, Roque said: “I just wish the vice

president could actually offer solutions.”

Trillanes rebutted: “Is Roque blind or pretending to be blind on the help

extended and being extended to our countrymen by the vice president in the

face of this pandemic?”

“Kung ang amo ni Roque na si Duterte ay patulog-tulog, si [Robredo] ay halos

wala nang pahinga sa paghahanap ng paraan kung panno makatutulong sa mga

Pilipino,” he added.

At the start of the Luzon-wide lockdown on March, RobredoÂ’s office initiated

bus transportation services for healthcare workers who were left without

means to get to their workplaces when mass transportation was halted.

The Office of the Vice President has also raised funds for purchase of PPEs

and opened up accommodations for frontliners during lockdown, and launched

an e-market project that taps tricycle drivers to deliver market goods to

buyers.

As the school opening nears, RobredoÂ’s office also called for donation of

unused gadgets students and teachers may use that for the governmentÂ’s

distance learning plan.

Trillanes added: “Duterte has opted to use checkpoints instead of mass

testing and contact tracing. His failure to properly address the problem has

devastated the economy and led to more COVID-19 cases.”

PANDEMIC LEAVES 343,000 OFWS JOBLESS, OVER HALF SHUN REPATRIATION: LABOR

CHIEF

Some 343,000 overseas Filipino workers lost their jobs due to the

coronavirus pandemic, but over half of them do not want to go home to the

Philippines, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello said Friday.

Around 190,000 jobless OFWs refused to go home because they have

unemployment insurance and are still hoping they can find work abroad, he

told ABS-CBN's TeleRadyo.

There were about 2.2 million OFWs in 2019, according to the Philippine

Statistics Authority.

The Philippines has repatriated some 54,000 OFWs due to the pandemic as of

Thursday and 16,000 more are expected to come home until the end of June,

said Bello.

DFA RECORDS 17 NEW COVID-19 CASES AMONG OVERSEAS FILIPINOS, TOTAL NOW AT

6,091

The Department of Foreign Affairs on Thursday confirmed 17 new COVID-19

cases among Filipinos abroad, pushing the total to 6,091.

One new recovery was reported in Asia and the Pacific, bringing the total of

recovered overseas Filipinos to 2,843. Meanwhile, six additional deaths were

logged in Europe and the Middle East, bringing the death toll to 472.

"As countries, including the Philippines, continue to transition into the

“new normal”, the DFA along with its Foreign Service Posts, assures its

continued service and assistance to the Filipino people, whenever possible,"

the DFA said.

22,000 DUPLICATE SAP BENEFICIARIES FOUND

MANILA, — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said its

ongoing validation of the distribution of the first tranche of P5,000 to

P8,000 emergency cash subsidy under the Social Amelioration Program (SAP)

has uncovered around 22,000 duplicate beneficiaries from the aid programs

being undertaken by the different agencies.

Social Welfare Undersecretary Rene Glen Paje, at a virtual press briefing,

said the discovery has prompted the agency to intensify validation of the

beneficiaries and liquidation reports submitted by local government units

(LGUs) that distributed the first SAP tranche in April.

Paje said that 1,556 out of the 1,634 LGUs have achieved 100 percent

distribution of the first tranche to assist citizens during the coronavirus

disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

He said the cash aid involved P99.8 billion and covered 17.6 million

low-income, vulnerable families tagged as eligible to get the emergency cash

subsidy.

Paje said the DSWD has started distribution of the P5,000 to P8,000

emergency cash subsidy to 3.5 million of the 5 million additional SAP

beneficiaries in the so-called waitlist who were left out of the first

tranche of cash aid.

DOH CLARIFIES: CEBU PROVINCE, EXCEPT CEBU CITY AND TALISAY, STILL UNDER GCQ

Health Undersecretary Ma. Rosario Vergeire on Friday clarified that the

entire province of Cebu, except Cebu City and Talisay City, is still under

general community quarantine.

Vergeire stressed that the DOH did NOT report that the entire province is

under enhanced community quarantine nor have they discussed the levels of

community quarantine in different areas of the country.

"Please be informed that the Province of Cebu, except for Cebu City (under

ECQ) and Talisay (modified ECQ), is still under GCQ. It is only the IATF

which has the authority to change and announce this kind of policies,"

Vergeire said.

THE REST

========

ADB APPROVES $126 MILLION LOAN FOR MWSS WORKS

MANILA - The Asian Development Bank said Friday it approved a $126 million

(P6 billion) loan for Metro Manila's water supply infrastructure.

The loan will fund the construction of Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage

System's (MWSS) 15-kilometer water transmission pipeline, the ADB said in a

statement.

A new aqueduct will help the system withstand 7.2 magnitude earthquakes and

reduce the risk of breakdowns, it said.

Additional funding will also help MWSS' effort to rehabilitate the

Umiray-Angat-Ipo dam system by improving the Angat Water transmission

capacity, it said.

MORE BUSES, E-JEEPNEYS MAY BE OUT BY JUNE 22

MANILA, — The government has increased routes of passenger buses and

allowed the resumption of operations of modern or “standardized” jeepneys in

Metro Manila to enable commuters to return to work under the “new normal”

amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

“The second phase (of operation) of modern PUVs (public utility vehicles)

has been approved, and if they are not enough, the LTFRB (Land

Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board) might allow traditional

jeepneys, provided they are roadworthy,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque

said yesterday.

Since the National Capital Region remains under general community quarantine

(GCQ), the government is implementing a strategy on the “calibrated, partial

and phased” deployment of public transportation, Roque said.

The hierarchy of transport modes puts the traditional jeepney last to be

deployed in terms of category for all transportation. The priority are

provincial buses, modern PUVs, jeepneys and tricycles.

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious

Diseases (IATF) and the Department of Health are also looking at a proposal

to use protective health equipment to enable angkas (back riding) motorcycle

operators to return to the streets.

Roque said the government has been working on the gradual increase of public

transportation to ferry workers in Metro Manila.

On Thursday, three routes for city buses were opened at PITX-Sucat,

PITX-Naic and PITX-Cavite City.

Under the current GCQ, the government has opened 27 out of 31 bus routes in

Metro Manila.

PANDEMIC FORCES TALIPTIP FISHERS TO DEMOLISH HOMES FOR 'CRUMBS FOR

COMPENSATION'

MANILA, — The COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown to contain it have left

some residents of a coastal community in Bulacan—the site of the proposed

New Manila International Airport—no choice but to demolish their own homes,

a group helping fishers opposed to the airport project said.

According to Save Taliptip movement, residents of Barangay Taliptip in

Bulakan town were allegedly given P250,000 in exchange of demolishing their

own homes. Those who opted to receive money were only given until Friday to

self-demolish and leave the area where San Miguel Corp.Â’s airport project is

projected to rise.

Out of the around 30 households in Sitio Kinse, only six remain.

“Kaya sila tumanggap ng pera kasi wala sila pwedeng pagpipiliian kasi sinabi

ng attorney ng San Miguel na walang pabahay kasi walang mabiling lupa,”

Shirley Bacon, one of the residents of Sitio Kinse, told Philstar.com in a

phone interview Thursday.

“Kaming mga natira dito ang tindig namin pabahay… Kaunti lang ang hiling

namin, bahay, lupa at hanapbuhay. Kung ano ‘yung inalis nila sa amin, dapat

‘yun ang ibalik nila,” Bacon added.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

VHONG NAVARRO TRENDS FOLLOWING KAT ALANO'S RAPE POSTS VS 'RHYMES WITH WRONG'

MANILA, — Actress Kat Alano revealed why she didn’t pursue the case against

the actor for alleged rape.

In her Twitter account, Kat said that she didnÂ’t file a case because her

alleged rapistÂ’s uncle made sure that the case will be dismissed.

“BTW, for everyone asking why I never filed. His uncle made sure that all

cases against him would be dismissed,” she said.

"I found this out first hand. Also they have been waiting to file a case

against me to silence me & discredit me in the media, knowing I could never

get justice by filing,” she added.

Kat joined the #HijaAko movement on Twitter against victim blaming. The

#HijaAko trended after singer Frankie Pangilinan lambasted broadcaster Ben

Tulfo on his remarks on rape.

Kat revealed that she was wearing T-shirt and jeans when she was raped by a

"still famous celebrity" whose name “Rhymes with Wrong."

"When I was raped by #rhymeswithwrong still famous celebrity who had smear

campaigns to destroy my career&raped many more,i was wearing a Tshirt and

jeans," she wrote.

"He drugged me too,so trying to take my jeans off was difficult for him.Hard

to rape an unconscious person in jeans. #HijaAko," she added.

Because of her exposes, "Vhong Navarro" became a top trending Twitter topic

on Thursday, with Internet users expressing mixed reactions on the issue.

"Tagal mo na sinasabi na narape ka. Puro blind item. Ikaw lang pwede

magdemanda hindi ang mga tao na sumusuporta sayo. Kumilos ka demanda mo na,

para matapos na," an Internet user commented on Kat's Instagram post that

simply said "#rhymeswithwrong."

"This is so disgusting, ikulong na 'yan!" a Twitter user said.

Navarro has not yet released a new statement on the issue.

It was January 2014 when Alano began posting about her alleged rapist. In

April that year, her fellow disc jockey Mo Twister hinted that the culprit's

name "rhymes with wrong."

‘PALABAN BASTA NASA KATWIRAN’: SHARON A PROUD MOM AS FRANKIE HELPS FIGHT

RAPE CULTURE WITH #HIJAAKO

MANILA — Music icon Sharon Cuneta expressed support for her daughter,

Frankie Pangilinan, amid an online movment, #HijaAko, that the young singer

inititated against rape culture in the Philippines.

Frankie, 19, was among the celebrities who spoke up in response to a

controversial "advice" from a Quezon province police station, for women to

dress modestly to avoid sexual assault.

Frankie's series of tweets explaining rape culture prompted a response from

broadcaster Ben Tulfo, who addressed her as "hija" and a "wannabe smart

aleck," as he cautioned women on how to dress, or risk "inviting the beast."

The back and forth led to #HijaAko, a hashtag Frankie used in responding to

Tulfo and which has since evolved as a social media movement where women

speak up against rape culture.

Frankie's cause has made proud parents out of Cuneta and Sen. Francis "Kiko"

Pangilinan. The lawmaker earlier lauded Frankie for her steps toward

activism.

Cuneta, meanwhile, shared a lengthy letter to Frankie on social media in

which she expressed pride, and backed the music newcomer's stand on sexual

assault.

"Alam ko na feeling ng Daddy at Mommy ko nung sumikat na ako bilang singer

na nag-uumpisa pa lang...ganon man kasimple, mas proud ako na naging anak

kita, dahil sa puso at pagkatao mo. Sa respeto at pagmamahal na binibigay mo

sa amin ng Daddy mo," Cuneta wrote.

"Sana anak hanggang mamamatay na lang kami huwag ka magbabago sa amin.

Ikamamatay ko pag nag-iba ang ugali mo o lumaki ang ulo mo o maging plastik

ka."

In jest, Cuneta said she would approve if Frankie chose to marry tomorrow,

given her maturity and values — except she doesn't have a boyfriend at the

moment.

Turning serious, she said, "I am so very proud of you."

SPORTS

PINOY RULES WORLD ONLINE RAPID CHESS

FIDE Master Sander Severino, defying odds all his life, escaped a power

outage and upended a tough multi-titled opponent in Igor Yarmonov of Ukraine

for a historic triumph in the International Physically Disabled Chess

Association (IPCA) World Online Chess Rapid Championship Wednesday night.

Severino completed the job just before the lights went out in his place in

Silay City, Negros Occidental, thus becoming the first Filipino world

champion in the sport of chess.

The 34-year-old reigning Asian and ASEAN Para Games ruler capped his

tour-de-force feat by smashing the five-time world standard chess king

Yarmonov to finish undefeated with 8.5 points on eight triumphs and a draw

in the event that drew a tough field of 124 participants.

Israeli IM Andrei Gurbanov and Russian IM Andrei Obudchuk, who are also

former world champs, wound up second and third, respectively, with seven

points apiece.

Jasper Rom and Henry Lopez also made the country proud by ending up sixth

and eighth with 6.5 points each.

“It’s a dream come true,” said Severino of his shining moment.

It came on the heels of Wesley SoÂ’s triumphant feat in Fischer-Random or

Chess 960, but the Cavite-born wiz delivered the win for the United States.

INDICATORS

FOREX $1 = P 50.17

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

The perfect day: going to bed with a dream and waking up with a purpose. –

Unknown