POPE FRANCIS: SAME-SEX COUPLES SHOULD BE COVERED BY CIVIL UNION LAWS

ROME - Pope Francis says in a film released on Wednesday that homosexuals

should be protected by civil union laws, in some of the clearest language he

has used on the rights of gay people.

"Homosexual people have a right to be in a family. They are children of God

and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out or be made

miserable over it," he says in the documentary "Francesco" by

Oscar-nominated director Evgeny Afineevsky.

"What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally

covered. I stood up for that," he said.

The pope appeared to be referring to when he was archbishop of Buenos Aires

and opposed legislation to approve same sex marriages but supported some

kind of legal protection for the rights of gay couples.

'WE CANNOT PRESUME REGULARITY': LACSON BLASTS P20-B IN HOUSE AMENDMENTS TO

APPROVED BUDGET

MANILA - Sen. Panfilo Lacson said Thursday it would be "misplaced" to

presume regularity in the 2021 budget to be transmitted by the House of

Representatives if it includes changes made after it was passed on final

reading.

A small committee from the House introduced some P20-billion institutional

amendments to the budget after lawmakers passed it on final reading, but

Lacson said this is "unconstitutional."

Senate President Vicente Sotto III earlier said he would presume regularity

in the budget that will be transmitted to the chamber.

"To say that there is a presumption of regularity I think is misplaced

because if that is the output of the small committee and they will include

these amendments in the USB drive that they will transmit to us on October

28, then we cannot presume regularity, with all due respect to my Senate

President," Lacson told ANC's Headstart.

"Because if it is based on an unconstitutional act, then we cannot presume

regularity," he said.

The Senate is expected to receive the printed copies of the 2021 budget next

week after House lawmakers approved it on final reading last Friday.

Both houses of Congress are seeking the timely passage of the spending bill

as the P4.5-trillion budget includes funds for the coronavirus pandemic

response. Otherwise, government would be forced to operate on a reenacted

2020 budget, which has no provisions to address the crisis.

HONTIVEROS QUESTIONS P2-B BUDGET CUT FOR 33 GOV'T HOSPITALS UNDER 2021

BUDGET

MANILA - Sen. Risa Hontiveros on Thursday flagged a P2-billion decrease in

the 2021 budget of 33 national and regional government hospitals, saying

this could slow down the country's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Three of those hospitals were "major COVID referral centers in cities that

have the highest number of cases in their respective regions," Hontiveros

said in a statement.

"Billions worth of cuts in the middle of a pandemic means we drastically

slashed the capacity of government hospitals to provide services and

medicines for free," she said.

"Dahil dito, aakyat pa ang out-of-pocket expenses ng mga tao. This is

grossly anti-poor and anti-people," the opposition senator said.

The Quirino Memorial Medical Center (QMMC) - "which has the highest number

of cases in the whole Philippines" - will get a P305.48 million funding

reduction, while the Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao - which is

at full capacity - will receive a P699.2 million budget cut, she said.

"Most of these hospitals are in emerging, if not current, hotspot areas,"

Hontiveros said.

"Shouldn't common sense tell us that when the threat is rising, we provide

reinforcement?" she said.

"We don't know when this pandemic will end, so our hospitals have to be

ever-ready to deal with the influx of patients," she said.

The P10-billion budget cut for the Prevention and Control of Communicable

and Non-Communicable Diseases is another questionable issue, she said.

"Hindi tayo pwedeng basta-basta lang 'business-as-usual,'" she said.

"Hindi porket may COVID-19 ay nawala na ang ibang sakit, kaya dapat

pinapatapang natin ang budget para sa matinding laban na ito," she said.

As of October 21, the Philippines is still Southeast Asia's COVID-19

epicenter with 362,243 cases.

‘GLORIA MACAPAGAL ARROYO HELPED SOLVE SPEAKERSHIP ROW’

MANILA — Former president and speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo might have

retired from politics, but apparently she still wields influence over the

country’s political affairs.

The STAR learned that she played a crucial role in the resolution of the

leadership squabble in the House of Representatives when Speaker Lord Allan

Velasco ended up unseating Taguig Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano.

A source revealed that Arroyo met with congressmen in her political party,

Lakas-CMD, days before the election of Velasco as Speaker last Oct. 12.

The 42-member bloc in the chamber, led by party president and Majority

Leader Martin Romualdez, was initially divided between Velasco and Cayetano.

But Arroyo, chair emeritus of the once ruling party, settled the impasse and

led to Lakas-CMD’s support for Velasco, said an insider who requested

anonymity due to lack of authority to speak on the matter.

“She played a pivotal role in settling the speakership issue – not just

within Lakas, but also in Congress as a whole because the vote of Lakas

became the ‘swing vote’ that decided the speakership row,” the source told

The STAR.

Cayetano earlier had more numbers with the support of the Nacionalista Party

(NP), National Unity Party (NUP), some members of the ruling PDP-Laban and

Lakas-CMD.

This was why a majority of 184 congressmen voted to keep him as speaker when

he offered to resign last Sept. 30.

At the time, Velasco only had support from a majority of President Duterte’s

PDP-Laban and the party-list coalition led by Deputy Speaker Mikee Romero.

When the Lakas-CMD bloc switched support to Velasco following the small

group meeting with Arroyo, the House majority followed suit.

PDEA PROBES ‘FAKE’ BUY-BUST IN DUMAGUETE, ‘RECALLS’ AGENTS INVOLVED

MANILA — The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) has ordered a probe

on the “fake” buy-bust operation in Dumaguete City which involved its

agents, saying the agency has already “recalled” them.

This, after a Dumaguete court junked the drugs cases against five accused

and required the five PDEA agents involved to explain why they should not be

held in indirect contempt of court for lying about the true nature of the

operation.

“[N]ag-utos na po si Director General Wilkins Villanueva for the PDEA

Intelligence and Investigation Service and the Internal Affairs Service to

conduct parallel investigations to determine the liability of the agents

involved in this case,” PDEA's spokesperson Derrick Carreon told ABS-CBN

News on Wednesday.

The PDEA agents claimed the five suspects were arrested in one of the

suspects' house in Dumaguete City on June 28 this year, and caught them in

the act of selling a small sachet of shabu and of holding a drug session.

But CCTV footage presented by the accused to the court showed they were in

fact picked up in two different places and were forced to board a blue

vehicle traced to the PDEA.

They were later brought to the house of one of the suspects, where they were

supposedly arrested.

“PDEA will never condone any illegal acts of our personnel. We will leave it

to the court while our personnel will also have their own rights to be

heard,” Villanueva told ABS-CBN News.

Villanueva said he has “recalled” the 5 agents, which means they will be

placed at the regional administrative holding area while being investigated.

While the agents were not suspended, the PDEA chief explained that they will

not be allowed to take part in any operations.

Carreon said that what happened in Dumaguete is not the norm.

“These are exceptional cases. These are not the usual happenings on the

ground. We can assure you that all PDEA operations are closely monitored and

undergo the stringent requirements prior to every operation, particularly

the case buildup and in the case of the buy-bust operation,” he said.

Conducting test-buys, casing, and surveillance operations were just among

the measures he said they took to ensure that they would arrest the correct

suspects.

He added that all drug operations were planned and supported by proper

documentation.

“Safeguards are in place. In regard to any planned anti-drug operation. It

can be documented and traced properly through the documents issued or

executed prior to the conduct of any operation,” he said.

“I guess it’s a matter of supervising any operation by the concerned

officers on the ground, whether they be the provincial officers or the

regional directors as the case they be,” he added.

ABS-CBN News reached out to the lawyers of the 5 acquitted drug suspects to

find out if they intend to pursue charges against the police officers but

they refused to comment on the issue.

LABOR DEPT SAYS TO GIVE AWAY FREE BIKES FOR FOOD COURIERS

MANILA - The labor department will give away free bikes nationwide to those

who wish to work as food couriers, its chief said Thursday.

The agency will launch the program on Monday in Metro Manila, beginning with

Pasig, said Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello.

"Magbibigay nga pala kami ng bisikleta sa buong bansa. Itong bisikleta na

ibibigay namin sa magnenegosyo ng Grab, 'yung magdedeliver. Kausap namin

yung mga restaurant na within a radius of 1 to 1 and a half kilometers dun

na lang sa binigyan namin ng bisikleta yung delivery nila," he told

ABS-CBN's Teleradyo.

Those who wish to acquire free bikes may inquire at DOLE offices, Bello

said.

ANOTHER 9,352 MIGRANT WORKERS BROUGHT HOME BY DFA LAST WEEK

MANILA — More than 223,000 overseas Filipinos have been repatriated by the

foreign affairs department since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

Of the total 223,294 returned migrant workers logged by the DFA, 9,352

returned last week.

"Of the total number of OFs repatriated, 73,870 (33.08%) are sea-based,

while 149,424 (66.92%) are land-based," a statement released by the agency

reads.

The following is a breakdown of the migrant workers who returned home last

week through a total of 38 special commercial repatriation flights:

8,444 from the Middle East

512 from Asia and the Pacific

395 from Europe

Two from the Americas

THE REST

========

#WALANGTUBIG: ILANG BARANGAY SA RODRIGUEZ RIZAL, OKTUBRE 22-23

MAYNILA - Ipinaalala ng Manila Water nitong Huwebes na magkakaroon ng water

interruption sa ilang lugar dahil sa isasagawang pagsasaayos ng linya ng

tubig sa M.H. Del Pilar corner C. Reyes, Brgy. San Rafael, Rodriguez, Rizal.

Halong 14,000 kabahayan at negosyo ang maaapektuhan ng isasagawang

pagkukumpuni simula 10 p.m. ng Oktubre 22 hanggang 6 a.m. ng Oktubre 23,

ayon sa Manila Water.

Mga apektadong barangay:

San Rafael

Geronimo

San Rosario

Balite

San Isidro

Pinayuhan ang mga residente na mag-imbak ng tubig na sasapat sa kanilang

pangangailangan.

PNP SKIPPING 'LAVISH, OVERGENEROUS' CHRISTMAS PARTIES THIS YEAR

MANILA - The Philippine National Police is skipping all forms of lavish and

overgenerous Christmas parties in all Units and Offices, including social

clubs and sectoral organizations among PNP personnel, its spokesman said

Thursday.

In a statement, PNP chief Gen. Camilo Cascolan said this would show the

PNP's "sincere responsiveness and sensitivity to the plight of Filipinos

affected by the COVID-19 pandemic."

“Other than the traditional extravagant and bountiful feasts, there are more

meaningful ways to count the blessings of the Holiday Season--with God,

family and country always above self,” Cascolan said.

Meanwhile, the PNP assured its 218,000-strong personnel of mandated bonuses,

supplemental allowances and other benefits on top of the regular pay.

“To allow every PNP family the financial flexibility and spending power to

provide for their own holiday needs, and possibly have some more to spare

for the less fortunate,” the statement read.

BAGUIO TO PROCEED WITH LUZON REOPENING DESPITE HIGH CRITICAL CARE LEVEL

MANILA - Baguio City will proceed with its reopening to Luzon residents on

Friday as it worked to increase its critical healthcare capacity, mayor and

contact tracing czar Benjamin Magalong said Thursday.

The OCTA Research Group earlier warned that the City of Pines has a 70

percent critical level in hospital occupancy and called for serious action

in the area.

This is due to Baguio receiving COVID-19 patients from different areas,

Magalong said.

"Tuloy-tuloy ang aming contact tracing, testing. Kung titingnan mo ang aming

testing capacity kami ang pinakamataas sa buong bansa. Tuloy-tuloy kami kaya

nga bumababa na ang aming daily cases ngayon, " he told ABS-CBN's Teleradyo.

"Once you open the economy there will always be surges…ang maganda naman dun

is you learn how to manage it, you gain experience from it. Kami hindi kami

nagpanic dito nung tumaas."

Only 300 travelers will be allowed to enter the city on Friday, Magalong

said. They will be required on present a QR code after submitting documents

such as a negative coronavirus test result within 72 hours, he added.

The city will also shorten its curfew to 12 midnight to 4 a.m. on Friday,

Magalong said.

FORMER SETTLERS MOVE INTO SMC-PROVIDED HOUSING

MANILA — Former settlers of a municipality in Bulacan have moved into newly

built homes provided to them by San Miguel Corp. (SMC).

Requests for house blessing from these settlers in Barangay Taliptip,

Bulakan, Bulacan, have thus risen, according to the parish priest serving

areas in and around the future site of the country’s largest and most modern

international airport.

The development came after SMC’s early completion of new houses and lots for

and distribution of financial assistance to the former settlers from

Taliptip, most of whom used to live in shanties exposed to the elements,

even as the private fish ponds they used to work for had long closed down.

Some 16 new houses were blessed recently in barangays Sta. Ana, Bambang,

Tibig and San Nicolas and other nearby areas in Bulakan town, according to

Fr. Ramon Garcia, parish priest of Nuestra Señora de Salambao Mission Parish

in Obando.

Garcia, whose parish covers Taliptip, including Sitio Dapdap, Capol,

Bunutan, Camansi, Kinse and Pariahan, admitted that there has been an

overwhelming number of requests for house blessing from former Taliptip

residents but he has had to limit these due to restrictions brought on by

the pandemic.

For the houses he has blessed so far, the priest said his key takeaway from

new homeowners is their sense of gratitude.

RAINY WEEKEND AHEAD AS PEPITO EXITS, NEW LPA ENTERS: PAGASA

MANILA - The state weather bureau on Thursday warned the public to brace for

a rainy weekend despite severe tropical storm Pepito's looming exit as a low

pressure area east of Mindanao may enter the Philippine area of

responsibility by Friday.

Severe tropical storm Pepito is forecast to leave the PAR between Thursday

morning and afternoon after lashing parts of Luzon, PAGASA said in its

latest weather bulletin.

The country's 16th storm this year was last estimated 380 kilometers west of

Dagupan City, Pangasinan, moving wets northwest at 10 kph while packing

maximum winds of 100 kph and gusts of up to 125 kph, PAGASA added.

All storm signals have been lifted but the storm will bring rains over

Batanes, Babuyan Islands, Ilocos provinces, Cordilleras, Zambales Bataan,

Occidental Mindoro, Palawan, and Western Visayas, according to PAGASA

weather forecaster Shelley Ignacio.

Meantime, the LPA spotted 1,660km east of Mindanao may enter PAR and develop

into tropical depression Quinta over the weekend, Ignacio said.

"Inaasahan nating makaapekto po ito by weekend," she told ABS-CBN's

Teleradyo.

A tropical depression estimated 1870 km east northeast of extreme Northern

Luzon remains unlikely to enter PAR, PAGASA said.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

‘PBB’ AUDITIONS DRAW IN MORE THAN 37,000 SUBMISSIONS IN 3 DAYS

MANILA — It may be down to the fact that you don’t have to line up, unlike

for past seasons.

But the online auditions for the upcoming new edition of “Pinoy Big Brother”

(PBB) have been a huge success, drawing in nearly 40,000 submissions in just

three days.

That’s almost 10 times the number it received on the day the reality show

began accepting auditions, which stood at just around 4,600.

The auditions are for the upcoming ninth season —the 15th edition overall—

dubbed “Connect,” which is open to aspiring housemates aged 16 to 35 years

old.

It’s being held via the Kumu app, a local livestreaming platform.

The auditions require those interested in joining the show to publish a

one-minute video introducing themselves, with their name, age, residence,

and the hashtag #PBBKumuAudition in its description.

SPORTS

NLEX SNAGS ELUSIVE FIRST WIN AS NORTHPORT STRUGGLES ANEW

NLEX Road Warriors took advantage of the slumping NorthPort Batang Pier for

a 102-88 decision, Wednesday night in the 2020 PBA Philippine Cup at the AUF

Gymnasium in Pampanga.

Starting the season by losing three straight games, the Road Warriors

finally grabbed their first win for a 1-3 win-loss slate.

Kiefer Ravena led the Road Warriors as he put up 25 points on 7-of-10

shooting on top of five rebounds and four assists, while JR Quinahan added

17 points. Kevin Alas had 16 points, 10 boards, and six dimes in the

victory.

Holding just a one-point lead with 10 minutes left in the game, NLEX went on

a 20-3 run for a 100-80 advantage, and NorthPort never recovered since then.

Kevin Ferrer had 18 points, while rookie Sean Manganti added 16 points for

the winless Batang Pier, who fell to 0-4.

RED-HOT GINEBRA STYMIES PHOENIX, WRIGHT FOR 4-0 START

Barangay Ginebra unleashed an almost perfect game on Wednesday night,

steamrolling through the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters, 86-71, in the 2020

PBA Philippine Cup at the Angeles University Foundation Sports Arena and

Cultural Center in Pampanga.

The Gin Kings rode a fiery offense in the fourth quarter, turning a 64-54

advantage to a 21-point lead, 86-65 to break the game wide open.

The win thus kept Ginebra’s clean slate intact as it improved to 4-0 for a

share of top spot with the TNT Tropang Giga.

Stanley Pringle starred in the blowout with 20 points on 4-of-7 shooting

from the three-point land. Prince Caperal hit four triples as well to end up

with 14 points along with 10 boards, while Japeth Aguilar and Scottie

Thompson added 13 and 11 markers, respectively.

Behind a stellar defense, the Gin Kings were able to limit Matthew Wright to

just 12 points on 5-of-17 shooting against four turnovers after coming into

the game averaging 30 points per outing.

Jason Perkins topscored for Phoenix with 15 points along with eight

rebounds, while Justin Chua chipped in 11 points in a loss cause as the Fuel

Masters suffered a second straight setback for a 2-2 record.

INDICATORS

FOREX $1 = P 48.58

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without

accepting it. – Aristotle