PHILIPPINES RECEIVES 1ST OF 2 C-130 PLANES FROM US

MANILA — The US government on Thursday turned over the first of two C-130H Hercules planes to the Philippines under the Foreign Military Financing grant program.

The aircraft, worth P1.54 billion, is capable of a maximum payload of 19,000 kilos, with a flying range of over 1,900 kilometers, the US embassy in Manila said in a statement yesterday.

The 220 Airlift Wing at the Philippine Air Force Brigadier General Benito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu will own and operate the aircraft, it said.

“The C-130 is a proven aircraft and demonstrated its reach and capability to deliver COVID-19 supplies across the country over the past year. We hope this additional aircraft will continue to be a steady workhorse, or ‘Tamaraw,’ for the Philippine Air Force for years to come,” US embassy chargé d’affaires John Law said.

The delivery of the C-130H Hercules came as the two countries discussed the fate of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), which President Duterte unilaterally terminated last year.

The Philippines is by far the largest recipient of US military assistance in the Indo-Pacific region, the US embassy said.

ZAMBALES PROSECUTOR JUNKS REFILED RAP VS TEACHER WHO OFFERED BOUNTY TO KILL DUTERTE

MANILA — An inciting to sedition complaint filed by the National Bureau of Investigation against public school teacher Ronnel Mas, who offered a P50-million reward for President Rodrigo Duterte’s death on Twitter, was again junked — this time by a Zambales prosecutor.

Acting Zambales provincial prosecutor Leonardo Santos said in a resolution released to the media on Saturday that the NBI, which re-filed the complaint against Mas, "failed to prove the identity of the perpetrator," as required by the Rules on Electronic Evidence.

This, Santos said, despite the fact that the complainant had already been "appraised with the insufficiency of the NBI's complaint by the court," that junked its case last June 24, 2020.

"Worse, the complainant not only has ignored one of the cited reasons by the court but also that of the undersigned investigating prosecutor," Santos added, referring to the NBI's failure to provide his office with a copy of Mas' alleged extrajudicial confession in an interview with a media reporter.

The prosecutor also cited the NBI's failure to secure a cyber-warrant of arrest against Mas, failure to produce a digital forensic examination report, and its illegal arrest of Mas, as decided by the Olongapo court that first junked the complaint.

"The Undersigned Prosecutor understands the seriousness of the remark made and the possible impact it may have created in disrupting peace and order in our country," Santos said. "However, he cannot turn a blind eye to the rules of procedure, quantum of evidence and the law."

"For, after all the issue at hand is a balance of the bill of rights, particularly the freedom of speech, and the State's police power for common good and public order."

NBI agents arrested Mas on a “hot pursuit” operation on May 11, 2020, over a tweet posted six days earlier that read: “I will give P50 million reward kung sino makakapatay kay Duterte.”

But Olongapo RTC Judge Richard Paradeza last June granted Mas' Motion to Quash — where the accused raised the illegality of his arrest — and ordered the dismissal of the inciting to sedition charge against the public school teacher. “Inciting to sedition is not a continuous crime for which the offender may be arrested without a warrant duly issued by the proper authority,” the inquest prosecutor said then.

It further noted that "[v]erbal admissions made without the assistance of counsel are inadmissible.”

The court also said that while the assailed content of the tweet is “despicable and provocative,” constitutional rights must still be upheld.

ERC ORDERS MERALCO TO REFUND P13.8 BILLION TO CUSTOMERS

MANILA — The Energy Regulatory Commission said Friday it has ordered Meralco to refund a total of P13.8 billion to its customers.

The refund rate will be an average of P0.15 per kilowatt-hour to be paid out in a span of 24 months or “until the amount is fully refunded.”

“The Commission approved Meralco’s prayer for the issuance of a provisional authority to allow their customers to immediately enjoy the benefits of the proposed refund and provide immediate rate relief especially during this time of pandemic,” ERC Chairperson and CEO Agnes VST Devanadera said.

In its order, the ERC stressed that it limits such provisional authority only to the refund of the amount as applied by Meralco.

It added that except for authorizing the refund as applied, all other allegations, assumptions, and computations made in the instant application are still subject to the ERC’s extensive evaluation and pertinent rules on the matter.

The ERC told Meralco to reflect the refund as a separate line item on customer power bills during the refund period.

COMELEC RESOLUTION DROPS 39 PARTY-LIST GROUPS

MANILA — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has delisted 39 party-list organizations, just 15 months away from the May 2022 polls.

In its Resolution 10696 dated Feb. 17, 2021, the poll body said the registration of the 39 groups has been cancelled in accordance with the provisions in the Party-List System Act of 1995.

Of the number, 30 were dropped from the list “after failing to obtain at least two percent of the votes cast for the party-list system.” Aside from this, Comelec said they also failed to “obtain a seat in the second round of seat allocation for the party-list system in the last two preceding elections.”

Comelec noted though that the delisting does not prevent the filing of “any petition for cancellations or disqualification against any party, organization, coalition and/or its nominees” for the coming elections.

It added that the resolution is “without prejudice to the failure to file a Manifestation of Intent to Participate or retain party-list groups or organizations.”

CASHALO HIT WITH DATA BREACH, BUT SAYS ACCOUNTS NOT COMPROMISED

MANILA — Fintech platform Cashalo reported Saturday it has been hit by a data breach, but assured that accounts and passwords of their users have not been compromised as these have been encrypted.

Cashalo said it discovered two days ago that there was “unauthorized access” to a database archive containing some personal data of their customers, including some combination of usernames, email addresses, phone numbers, device IDs and encrypted passwords.

The mobile-first lender, a joint venture of JG Summit subsidiary Express Holdings Inc. and Oriente, said this was due to an individual who claimed to be in possession of a customer database taken from its “non-production system.”

The fintech platform said that it has since taken the system offline, started investigations and is working closely with cybersecurity experts and relevant authorities, including the National Privacy Commission.

Cashalo said its teams are still determining the extent of the data breach and that it is informing affected users.

“We apologize sincerely and unreservedly for this unfortunate incident and those impacted,” Cashalo said in a separate statement posted Saturday midnight on its Facebook page.

The NPC said Friday evening in a statement that it is investigating reports that client data from Cashalo is being sold on the dark web.

The commission refused to give out further details to “avoid jeopardizing the investigation process.”

COVID-19 DEATHS AMONG FILIPINOS ABROAD BREACH 1,000 — DFA

MANILA — The number of Filipinos who have died of coronavirus overseas breached 1,000 on Friday after the Department of Foreign Affairs reported 11 more fatalities among migrants.

The death toll among Filipinos overseas is now at 1,009.

Meanwhile, another 28 migrants contracted the virus, bringing the DFA's case tally to 14,787.

Of the total number of cases recorded by the department, 4,484 are marked as active which means these patients are still undergoing treatment.

The agency also recorded 22 new recoveries, bringing the total number of recovered Filipinos abroad to 9,294.

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OCTA GROUP RECOMMENDS GRADUAL EASING OF NCR QUARANTINE, WARNS OF SURGE UNDER MGCQ

MANILA - The OCTA Research Group on Saturday said a more gradual approach to easing quarantine restrictions is needed to prevent a possible surge in COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila, as authorities eyed a shift to the lowest restriction level.

OCTA research fellow Guido David said their group is not against placing Metro Manila under modified general community quarantine, but added that the timing is still premature.

“Mas gusto natin medyo mas gradual para ma-balance natin 'yung risk factor saka 'yung economy,” David said.

Metro Manila mayors and the inter-agency task force leading the country's COVID-19 response have reached an agreement to place the National Capital Region, the country's pandemic epicenter, under MGCQ next month.

Based on a simulation conducted by the group, David said that if Metro Manila is under MGCQ and hit by the same variant that affected Cebu City, it would take just 36 days for the region to return to its COVID-19 situation back in August, when an average of 2,400 cases were reported per day.

PASAY PLACES 33 BARANGAYS UNDER 14-DAY LOCKDOWN DUE TO RISING COVID-19 CASES

MANILA - The local government of Pasay City on Saturday placed 33 barangays and one establishment under a 14-day lockdown due to an increasing number of COVID-19 cases.

Pasay City Administrator Dennis Acorda made the announcement, saying Pasay City Mayor Emi Calixto-Rubiano wants to place on lockdown every barangay where there are 3 or more COVID-19 cases.

The city is a transport hub in the southern Metro, where air and bus terminals are located. It is also home to recreational and entertainment sites.

The OCTA Research Group on Saturday said COVID-19 cases in Pasay City doubled from last week.

“This week, for the past 7 days average niya sa Pasay 44 cases per day pero the previous week 22,” said Prof. Guido David.

David said the spike could be due to the recent holidays like the Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day celebrations.

TAAL VOLCANO: LGUS TOLD TO BRACE FOR WORST

MANILA — The National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) has reminded its regional offices and local government units to be prepared for the worst as Taal Volcano continued to show signs of activity.

The NDRRMC said it is monitoring the volcano in coordination with local officials.

The Talisay municipal disaster office said all residents of Volcano Island have been brought to evacuation centers in Barangays Tumaway and Aya in Talisay, Batangas.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seisomology (Phivolcs) said 91 volcanic quakes lasting one to five minutes were monitored in the past 24 hours.

The volcano remains under Alert Level 1.

Phivolcs director Renato Solidum said the likelihood of a phreatic eruption similar to what occurred on Jan. 13 last year is increasing, but limited to Volcano Island.

CYCLONE SIGNALS UP DUE TO AURING

MANILA — Several areas in the Visayas and Mindanao were placed under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal yesterday as Tropical Storm Auring (international name Dujuan) continued to move toward Caraga region.

As of 5 p.m. yesterday, Signal No. 1 was hoisted over Southern Leyte and the southeastern portion of Eastern Samar; Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Davao Oriental, Davao de Oro, Davao del Norte, Davao City, Camiguin and the western portion of Misamis Oriental and Bukidnon.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Signal No. 2 was expected to be raised over Surigao del Sur and Davao Oriental last night while more areas in Northern Mindanao and Eastern and Central Visayas were expected to be placed under Signal No. 1.

Auring, the country’s first tropical cyclone this year, was forecast to make landfall over the eastern coast of Caraga tomorrow morning. It was also projected to cross the Visayas and Mimaropa tomorrow until Monday.

“Today until Monday afternoon is what we consider the critical period,” PAGASA senior weather forecaster Chris Perez said.

As of 4 p.m., the center of Auring was located 405 kilometers east-southeast of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur, packing winds of 85 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 105 kph.

PAGASA warned the public of widespread flooding and landslides due to moderate to intense heavy rains.

Rough to very rough seas are expected over the seaboards of Luzon, the Visayas and the northern part of Mindanao.

SURIGAO DEL SUR EVACUATES THOUSANDS OF RESIDENTS AHEAD OF AURING'S LANDFALL

MANILA - The provincial government of Surigao del Sur has evacuated thousands of residents ahead of the expected landfall of Tropical Storm Auring over the eastern coast of Caraga on Sunday.

Surigao del Sur Gov. Ayec Pimentel said the provincial government has conducted preemptive evacuation of more than 12,700 residents in 12 municipalities.

“Dadami pa 'yan ngayon kasi ‘di pa nagla-landfall. Pasalamat ako sa mga tao namin, automatic sila, 'pag sinabing mag-evacuate, nag-evacuate talaga sila walang sapilitan,” Pimentel said in an interview on TeleRadyo on Saturday morning.

Pimentel said they have residents staying in 30 evacuation centers in 12 local government units.

In its 5 a.m. bulletin, the state weather bureau said the center of the country's first tropical cyclone this year was last estimated 475 kilometers east southeast of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur as of 4 a.m., almost stationary, while packing maximum sustained winds of 75 kilometers per hour near the center and gusts of up to 90 kph.

Auring is forecast to make landfall over the eastern coast of Caraga Region on Sunday morning or afternoon, and then cross Visayas and Mimaropa later that day until Monday, PAGASA said.

“Patuloy pa rin po kaming inuulan at hangin, pero mas malakas kagabi 'yung ulan at hangin,” he sadi.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

KIM KARDASHIAN FILES TO END ALMOST 7-YEAR MARRIAGE TO KANYE WEST

LOS ANGELES - Reality star and businesswoman Kim Kardashian on Friday filed for divorce from her rapper husband Kanye West after almost seven years of marriage and months of rumors that their relationship had broken down.

Representatives for the Los Angeles Superior Court and for Kardashian, 40, said she had filed the divorce papers.

Celebrity website TMZ cited unidentified sources as saying the split was amicable and that Kardashian had asked for joint custody of the couple's four children.

The grounds for the divorce were not immediately known.

Representatives for West did not immediately return a request for comment.

The filing follows months of leaks and reports that the marriage between the two celebrities was on the rocks.

Kardashian, who made her name in the reality TV series "Keeping Up with the Kardashians," married West, 43, in May 2014, making them one of the biggest celebrity couples in Hollywood, popularly known as "Kimye."

The couple's already unconventional relationship became strained last year when West, who suffers from bipolar disorder, ran an unsuccessful campaign marked by erratic statements to be elected U.S. president under his self-styled Birthday Party.

Kardashian in July released a statement urging compassion for West's mental health struggles. But the couple appeared to grow further apart with the 21-time Grammy winner spending most of his time at his ranch in Wyoming and Kardashian remaining in their Calabasas mansion outside Los Angeles.

Both Kardashian and West are reported to be billionaires. West made his money through his music as well as his Yeezy fashion and sneaker line.

Kardashian, who is training to be a social justice lawyer, made her money through her TV series, as a social media influencer, and by developing a lucrative line of cosmetics and foundation garments.

TMZ reported that the couple had a prenuptial agreement and that discussions on a property settlement were well advanced.

The wedding was the first for West and the third for Kardashian after she had brief marriages with basketball player Kris Humphries and music producer Damon Thomas.

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM ART IN THE PARK 2021

MANILA -- Art in the Park, dubbed as the country's affordable art fair, is celebrating its 15th anniversary this February.

From February 21 to 28, Art in the Park will offer more than 6,000 artworks both by established and up-and-coming Filipino artists.

Just like last year, the event will be held on a virtual platform. New pieces will be uploaded on the Art in the Park website daily until the end of the online fair.

Prices of artworks are still capped at P50,000, with the event to continue to benefit the Museum Foundation of the Philippines and the National Museum of the Philippines.

Art in the Park retains its partnership with Globe Platinum for several events that will run throughout the online fair, such as a tutorial for kids by comic artist and illustrator Jomike Tejido; video features on the art-making process of artists Henrielle Pagkaliwangan and Yvonne Quisumbing; and music on Saturday night from '80s band Overdrive.

The fair's collaboration with Bank of the Philippine Islands, on the other hand, will include a series of mini-documentaries that will highlight the works of pottery pioneers in the Philippines Jon and Tessy Pettyjohn, and Joey de Castro.

SPORTS

NBA SCORES FEB 18

FINAL

           1          2          3          4          T

Raptors  14-15  33        25        27        25        110

Bucks  16-13     26        15        31        24        96

SCORING LEADERS

            N. Powell TOR

29 PTS, 4 REB, 3 AST

            G. Antetokounmpo MIL

23 PTS, 12 REB, 8 AST

FINAL

           1          2          3          4          T

Nets  19-12       31        33        26        19        109

Lakers  22-8      24        29        21        24        98

SCORING LEADERS

            J. Harden BKN

23 PTS, 5 REB, 11 AST

            L. James LAL

32 PTS, 8 REB, 7 AST

FINAL

           1          2          3          4          T

Heat  12-17       31        26        32        29        118

Kings  12-16     21        22        36        31        110

SCORING LEADERS

            T. Herro MIA

27 PTS, 4 REB, 3 AST

            N. Bjelica SAC

25 PTS, 8 REB, 3 AST

INDICATORS

FOREX $1 = P 48.45

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

A vote is like a rifle: its usefulness depends upon the character of the user. - Theodore Roosevelt