DOJ TO PRIORITIZE DRUGS CASES FOLLOWING DUTERTE DIRECTIVE TO DESTROY DRUGS

MANILA — Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra is set to issue a memorandum

circular ordering prosecutors to prioritize drug cases following President

Rodrigo Duterte’s directive to authorities to destroy seized illegal drugs.

“In accordance with the president's directive, the DOJ will issue a memo

circular to all prosecutors investigating drug cases to give top priority to

the resolution of the same, to file the informations asap, and to move for a

court order to conduct ocular inspection of and destroy the seized drugs,

precursors, etc within the time specified in RA 9165,” Guevarra said in a

text message Wednesday.

The justice chief explained that under the section 21(4) of RA 9165 or the

Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, trial courts are required to

conduct an ocular inspection of confiscated or surrendered illegal drugs,

precursors, paraphernalia and other items and through the Philippine Drug

Enforcement Agency, proceed to burn or destroy them within 24 hours after

inspection, in the presence of accused or counsel and representatives from

the media, the DOJ, civil society organizations and any elected public

official.

“A representative sample of the seized drugs will be retained for use during

the trial of the case. Thus, law enforcement agents must file the criminal

complaints immediately so that the destruction of the seized drugs could

proceed as early as possible,” he said.

In a televised address to the public Monday night, President Duterte gave

authorities 1 week to destroy seized illegal drugs to prevent “unscrupulous”

anti-drug operatives from recycling them and peddling them on the streets.

The Supreme Court’s Office of the Court Administrator, on July 15, already

directed trial court judges handling illegal drugs cases to “strictly

comply” with the requirements of section 21(4).

OCA Circular 118-2020 signed by Court Administrator Jose Midas Marquez added

that if full compliance is not possible, priority should be given to

dangerous drugs seized amounting to 5 kilos or more.

If the drugs are physically brought to court, the court should order them

destroyed within 24 hours.

ANTI-VAXXER MISINFORMATION GOES VIRAL IN PHILIPPINES

MANILA — Online misinformation is leaching out from cheap mobile phones and

free Facebook plans used by millions in the Philippines, convincing many to

reject vaccinations for polio and other deadly diseases.

Childhood immunization rates have plummeted in the country -- from 87% in

2014 to 68% -- resulting in a measles epidemic and the reemergence of polio

last year.

A highly politicized campaign that led to the withdrawal of dengue vaccine

Dengvaxia in 2017 is widely seen as one of the main drivers of the fall.

But health experts also point to an explosion of vaccination-related

misinformation that has undermined confidence in all types of immunizations.

In the northern city of Tarlac, government nurse Reeza Patriarca watched

with horror the impacts of Facebook posts that falsely claimed five people

had died after receiving an unspecified vaccination.

The posts, which have been shared thousands of times, went online in August,

weeks after the relaunch of a World Health Organization-backed polio

immunisation drive.

The Tarlac government and national health department issued statements

saying no one had died, but Patriarca said the misinformation proved

stronger than the truth for many parents.

"It spread like crazy. In the second week, more and more people were

refusing," said Patriarca, 27, whose health unit was administering the

vaccine across nine neighborhoods.

"Some believed the (government) explanation, others didn't. We couldn't

force them."

The false report in Tarlac even deterred people from getting free flu jabs

in the nearby city of San Jose del Monte.

Health worker Rosanna Robianes said elderly people who would normally queue

at her centre for their shot did not show up.

"They said it's because of Facebook, that there's a report that people who

had been vaccinated in Tarlac had died," she said.

Interest in online anti-vaccine content has surged during the pandemic as

scientists around the world have raced to develop an effective inoculation.

The number of followers of anti-vaccine groups and pages on Facebook in the

Philippines has risen by 190,000 to around 500,000, according to social

media monitoring platform CrowdTangle's latest data.

The pages have attracted eight million interactions -- reactions, comments

and shares -- since the pandemic began.

‘HINDI ROCKET SCIENCE’: RESUME ALL PUBLIC TRANSPORT TO FERRY MORE WORKERS,

GOV’T URGED

MANILA - An employers' group on Wednesday urged government to allow all

public transportation to accommodate more workers as several businesses

resumed operations at full capacity.

Small firms cannot afford shuttle services for their employees, said Sergio

Ortiz-Luis Jr., president of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines.

"Problema pa rin yung transport, yung mass transport. Yung mga hindi pa

binubuksan marami pa ring di makapasok...Ba’t hindi ibalik na lang lahat ng

transportation bago pa mag-COVID? At kahit ibalik lahat yun kulang pa rin

dahil sa social distancing," he told ABS-CBN's Teleradyo.

"Hindi naman rocket science na aayusin niyo pa yung linya, ruta. Ibalik na

lang muna, atsaka ayusin yang mga Beep na yan, nahihirapan lahat ng mga

tao."

The transport department earlier mandated the use of Beep cards. It withdrew

the order after commuters complained of its stiff price and excess charges.

Most forms of public transport were allowed to operate under general

community quarantine (GCQ) but under reduced capacity and strict health

protocols.

AS HOUSE SPEAKERSHIP ROW RAGES, PALACE SAYS IT ‘CANNOT INTERVENE’

MANILA — Malacañang said Wednesday it “cannot intervene” in the fight for

the House Speakership, which it said was unlikely to delay the 2021 budget

that included funds for the coronavirus pandemic.

The House of Representatives on Tuesday approved on second reading the

P4.5-trillion 2021 national budget upon Speaker Alan Cayetano's motion. His

allies also moved to suspend session until Nov. 16, pre-empting the supposed

takeover of Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco by Oct. 14, per a

term-sharing agreement.

“Whether or not that is in compliance with the gentleman’s agreement, I

leave that up to the parties,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in

a CNN Philippines interview.

“In an issue such as this, there is no judge. Even the courts cannot

intervene because the organization and leadership of the House is a purely

internal matter. And the Executive cannot really intervene in the choice of

who next Speaker will be,” he added.

Velasco on Monday night had sought an audience with Duterte, who told the

lawmaker that he had “a right” to run as Speaker, Roque earlier told

reporters. The President and the lawmaker are party-mates in PDP-Laban.

The Palace thanks the House for “its speedy action” with the budget, said

Roque.

“As you know, when a proposed law is passed on second reading, the third

reading is ceremonial… The expectation is when they come back on November

14, the House will approve the third and final reading the printed copy of

the House bill,” he said.

The Senate can hold deliberations “on its own” during the Congress break,

Roque said.

But several senators warned the House break may delay the passage of the

spending plan. Senate President Vicente Sotto III said there was "no way"

for the Senate to finish the budget if it is not submitted by the House

before the Oct. 14 break.

Under the law, the House must approve on final reading the National

Expenditure Program (NEP) before the Senate could tackle the spending bill

in plenary.

“I don’t think it will have any effect on passing the budget on time,” said

Roque.

“The message of the President to both Speaker Alan Cayetano and Lord Allan

Velasco is do what you have to do but the budget cannot be delayed. We

cannot have a reenacted budget,” he said.

A reenacted budget does not include allocations for the COVID-19 pandemic

that has left millions of Filipinos jobless, dragged the economy into

recession, and locally sickened at 326,000 people.

HONTIVEROS BACKS P1.36-B INCREASE IN DSWD BUDGET TO MEET 'LOOMING HUNGER

CRISIS'

MANILA — A senator on Wednesday urged an increase of over P1 billion for

the social welfare department's 2021 budget to address what she called the

looming hunger crisis in the country.

"If we want to prevent an epidemic of malnutrition and stunted growth among

young children, we have to empower the DSWD and provide the necessary

budgetary increases for our nationwide feeding programs," Sen. Risa

Hontiveros said.

The P1.36-billion budget hike for the Department of Social Welfare

Development will be allocated to the government's supplemental feeding

program in 2021. Hontiveros said funding the program "will help feed at

least 1.94 million children, aged three to five years old, who are mostly

undernourished and impoverished."

"Just this August, [the United Nations Children Fund] reported that a third

of Filipino children in the country experience stunted growth. The country

is in fact among the top 10 countries worldwide with the highest number of

stunted children," Hontiveros said Wednesday.

The senator urged her colleagues "to help correct this situation and see to

it that the government's feeding programs get the funding they need," noting

that the proposed 2021 social welfare department budget pending before

lawmakers does not include the additional P1.36 billion sought by the

agency.

VP’S CAMP BLAMES ‘FAKE NEWS’ FOR LOW RATINGS

MANILA — Vice President Leni Robredo’s spokesman yesterday blamed

disinformation and fake news for her relatively low approval and trust

ratings in the September survey of Pulse Asia.

Compared with President Duterte’s approval and trust scores both at 91

percent Robredo received approval and trust ratings of 57 percent and 50

percent, respectively, in the Sept. 14-20 poll.

Robredo received the second lowest ratings among the country’s top

officials.

“Given the limited budget of the OVP, she has actually done a lot with the

resources available to her. I think the problem is more with respect to

people finding out, or getting informed, about what the Vice President is

doing,” said Robredo spokesman Barry Gutierrez in an interview with ANC.

He said millions of Filipinos were able to receive financial assistance from

their local governments, and this was attributed to the administration as a

whole.

“The VP does not have that particular luxury,” he said.

Gutierrez said since they do not have access to the same level of

communication infrastructure as Malacañang, the Vice President is under

“constant attack by trolls and other people who persist in spreading fake

news online about her.”

“We’re really hitting a disinformation wall and we have to deal with that

every day that we are striving to work for the Filipino public,” he said.

“Hopefully, Facebook itself, as an institution, is also attempting to take

steps to address the proliferation of fake news on its platform. So

hopefully, with these moves, slowly but steadily, we will be able to punch

through the wall of disinformation that we have had to struggle against over

the course of the last four years,” he said.

Nevertheless, Gutierrez said the approval rating “is not really a concern

that the Vice President prioritizes.”

“She does not really spend any money at all to promote herself on social

media. What is important for her is that she does the work, she is able to

help actual people on the ground,” he said.

Pulse Asia president Ronald Holmes defended the survey result, saying they

used the same methodology and questions for the last 20 years.

THE REST

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WHATEVER HAPPENED TO: ANTI-COVID MOTORCYCLE BARRIERS

MANILA — Announced and implemented to much fanfare in late July, the plastic

motorcycle barriers that the government said would protect pillion riders

from COVID-19 transmission live on now mostly in errant memes.

Briefly ubiquitous on Metro Manila's roads, they have since become rare,

although Joint Task Force COVID Shield assured Philstar.com on Tuesday that

they and the rule that requires people sharing a motorcycle to use them

still exist.

"We are still enforcing that. There have been no changes to the policy

coming from the [National Task Force against COVID-19]," Police Lt. Gen.

Guillermo Eleazar, commander of JTF COVID Shield, which enforces quarantine

protocol, said.

What they are

The motorcycle barriers are plastic shields meant to prevent COVID-19

transmission between the motorcycle driver and their passenger. They come in

two approved designs, one from Bohol Gov. Arthur Yap and another from

motorcycle taxi service Angkas,

"This second approved design (Angkas) is somehow simpler as it will only be

strapped to the motorcycle driver and not mounted directly on the motorcycle

itself, unlike the first design," Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said in

July.

"It's good that people have options but as of today, both are already

approved to be used."

The barriers were already a step forward from pillion riding not being

allowed at all.

ABU SAYYAF FIRE AT SULU VILLAGERS; 1 DEAD

ZAMBOANGA CITY — Abu Sayyaf bandits fired at villagers in Patikul, Sulu on

Monday, leaving a barangay watchman dead.

The fatality was identified as Barangay Peacekeeping Action Team member Tali

Lakibul.

Lt. Gen. Corleto Vinluan Jr., Western Mindanao Command chief, said residents

of Barangay Igasan were harvesting mangosteen when they were shot.

Local government officials and security forces said Abu Sayyaf bandits have

been demanding for their share of the fruits harvested in the area.

Pursuit operations for the bandits are ongoing.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

‘GOLD IS IN!’ A2Z REVEAL INSTANTLY TRENDS AS KAPAMILYA VIEWERS EXPRESS

EXCITEMENT

MANILA — ABS-CBN became an instant trending topic on social media Tuesday

with the announcement of its partnership with Zoe Broadcasting Network,

which paves the way for some of its programs to return to free television.

On Twitter, “ABS-CBN” ranked among the top trends in the Philippines, with

many Kapamilya fans expressing excitement with the unveiling of A2Z Channel

11, Zoe’s new brand that indicates its partnership with ABS-CBN.

As the logo of A2Z circulated online, netizens noted the gold font, with a

number being reminded of the teleserye character Lily Cruz’s memorable line

in “Wildflower.”

“Gold is in!” one netizen quipped, quoting Lily’s (Maja Salvador) comeback

scene in the series after being thought dead.

The same meme featuring Lily as ABS-CBN circulated in May, when the

network’s flagship newscast “TV Patrol” returned through digital platforms.

Others called the channel name “witty,” as they pointed out that it cleverly

puts together the names of ABS-CBN Channel 2 and Zoe Broadcasting Network in

a familiar abbreviation.

Comedy superstar Vice Ganda meanwhile celebrated the announcement, tweeting,

“Better days!”

Vice Ganda, an original mainstay of ABS-CBN’s flagship noontime program

“It’s Showtime,” previously teased the partnership in a live episode.

“One plus one equals two; one and one equals 11!” Vice Ganda quipped in one

segment, prompting speculation that “It’s Showtime” is one of the first

ABS-CBN programs to be aired on A2Z.

A2Z will kick off its revamped programming on Saturday, October 10.

WHAT ABS-CBN SHOWS ARE COMING TO A2Z CHANNEL 11

MANILA -- A2Z, the newly rebranded Channel 11 following Zoe Broadcasting

Network’s partnership with ABS-CBN, will be the new home of some Kapamilya

programs on free television starting Saturday.

Among the Kapamilya shows that are coming to the channel are “It’s Showtime”

and “ASAP Natin To,” which will bring live entertainment on Saturday and

Sunday, respectively.

Furthermore, A2Z Channel 11 will also have a marathon telecast of “FPJ’s Ang

Probinsyano,” “Ang Sa Iyo ay Akin,” and “Walang Hanggang Paalam” this

weekend before the regular primetime run of their fresh episodes on

weeknights beginning October 12.

In the coming weeks, Channel 11 will also air “Paano Kita Mapapasalamatan,”

“Iba ‘Yan,” “Magandang Buhay,” “I Can See Your Voice” and “Maalaala Mo

Kaya.”

Aside from entertainment shows, movies and educational programs will start

airing on the channel starting October 8.

The new A2Z Channel 11 will be seen on free TV via analog broadcast in Metro

Manila and nearby provinces. It will also be available on many cable and

satellite TV like Sky Cable.

The free-TV comeback of ABS-CBN comes five months after ABS-CBN Channel 2

initially ceased its broadcast in May due to the expiration of its

franchise. The House of Representatives subsequently denied its franchise

application in July.

For some weeks now, ABS-CBN has been airing its programs via cable on

Kapamilya Channel, and via free streaming on Kapamilya Online Live.

Even with the partnership with Zoe, ABS-CBN shows will continue to be seen

on cable and satellite TV via Kapamilya Channel, online via iWant TFC and

Kapamilya Online Live on YouTube and Facebook, and globally through our

cable TV and satellite partners.

SPORTS

NBA SCORES OCT 6

        1    2    3    4    T

1 Lakers 2-1    27    22    26    27    102

5 Heat 1-2    22    25    23    26    96

GAME 4: LAL LEADS 2-1

SCORING LEADERS

    L. James LAL

28 PTS, 12 REB, 8 AST

    J. Butler MIA

22 PTS, 10 REB, 9 AST

NBA FINALS: LAKERS TAKE COMMANDING 3-1 LEAD AGAINST HEAT

The Los Angeles Lakers are one win away from claiming their first NBA

championship in 10 years.

Behind better performances from their two All-Stars, the Lakers grabbed a

102-96 victory over the Miami Heat in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, Tuesday at

the Walt Disney World in Orlando.

It was a bounce back win for the Lakers, who bowed to Miami in Game 3 after

Jimmy Butler's 40-point triple-double.

But LeBron James and Anthony Davis came through on their promise to play

better in Game 4, leading the Lakers to the crucial win.

The Lakers can secure the championship on Saturday's Game 5.

Next game will resume on 9th Oct

INDICATORS

FOREX $1 = P 48.38

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only

plan, but also believe. - Anatole France