CHINA TO PHILIPPINES: REMOVE ‘DISTURBANCES’ IN RELATIONS
MANILA — China yesterday urged the Philippines to place maritime issues in context and “remove disturbances” in the relations between the two countries amid dangerous Chinese activities in the West Philippine Sea.
The Chinese embassy in Manila said Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. held talks in Tunxi, Eastern Anhui province on Sunday.
“The two sides exchanged views on the South China Sea issue and held that maritime issues should be placed in an appropriate position in bilateral relations,” the embassy said in a statement.
Wang said China always considers the Philippines a priority in its neighborhood diplomacy, and such good-neighborly and friendly policy has continued to foster stability.
“The two sides should remove disturbances, calmly and properly manage differences and not let them affect the overall situation of China-Philippines relations,” Wang said.
He promised that China is ready to speed up construction of key infrastructure projects with the Philippines and continue to provide COVID-19 vaccine assistance and enhance public health cooperation according to the need of the Philippines.
Wang met with three foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and exchanged views on China-ASEAN friendly relationship, regional and international topics including the Ukraine issue.
'LAHAT NG MILYONARYO, MAY PARTY-LIST': DUTERTE WANTS CHARTER CHANGE TO FIX ELECTORAL SYSTEM
MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday pushed for changing the constitution, saying it was "easy" for the country's elite to get elected to public office through the party-list system.
Duterte said the constitution was patterned nearly "word for word" after that of the US and failed to account for "what will follow."
"Lahat ng mga mayaman, buong Pilipinas, lahat ng mga milyonaryo, may party-list. Agawan sila ng party-list. Iyong ibang walang party-list, binibili nila... ‘Pag eleksyon, sila iyong may pera, sila iyong mananalo," Duterte said in a speech in Batangas province.
"Kung magdating lang ang panahon, I am talking about the young ones, the mayors, congressman, palitan ninyo ang constitution… Itong constitution na ito is madaling maging bilyonaryo in public office, kung ginusto niya. Iyong iba naman talagang straight. Ang problema iyong mga oportunista," he added.
Duterte was in Batangas to inspect an evacuation center in Mataasnakahoy town following the recent eruption of the Taal Volcano.
Election watchdog Kontra Daya said in March that 120 out of 177 party-list groups were "identified with political clans and big businesses, as well as for having incumbent local officials, connections with the government and military, unknown or unclear advocacies and representations; and pending court cases and criminal charges."
Election lawyer Emil Marañon earlier said that a confluence of factors – including a 2013 Supreme Court ruling that made it possible for non-members of marginalized sectors to represent organizations allowed to run as party-list groups – led to the system's current state.
Marañon and other experts have urged Congress to review the 1995 Party-List System Law, along with members of the academe and other sectors, to fix its flaws.
DUTERTE SAYS 'NOT SUPPORTING ANY CANDIDATE EXCEPT DAUGHTER' SARA
MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte said on Monday he is "not supporting any candidate—except, of course, my daughter," Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, who is seeking the No. 2 job in the May elections.
One of his advisers earlier urged the President to back Duterte-Carpio's running-mate Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. to shield him from possible legal action when he steps down from office.
In a speech at an evacuation center in Batangas province on Monday afternoon, Duterte said, "Ako wala na, tapos na ako."
"I am not supporting any candidate—except, of course, my daughter. Ako, boboto talaga ako sa anak ko," he said.
Duterte was in Batangas to inspect an evacuation, following the recent eruption of the Taal Volcano.
ALL SYSTEMS GO FOR ABSENTEE VOTING: COMELEC
MANILA -- The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is ready for the start of absentee voting for overseas and local absentee voters for the 2022 national and local elections, Commissioner George Erwin Garcia said Monday.
Local absentee voting is for persons deprived of liberty, members of the media, and uniformed personnel who will be working on election day, May 9. It is scheduled on April 27, 28 and 29.
Garcia said on ABS-CBN's TeleRadyo that the poll body has approved the application of 84,221 local absentee voters, while that of 9,346 others was disapproved for various reasons.
Overseas absentee voting, meanwhile, is for Filipinos who are dual citizens or who are working abroad at the time of the election. Some can vote in their consulates or embassies or by post. It will begin on April 10 and will last until May 9.
"[Kahit] anong oras po sa bansa kung nasaan sila, alas-8 po sa April 10, sila po ay makakaboto na," Garcia said in a separate interview.
"Makakatanggap na rin kayo ng mga balota mula sa koreo kung ang pinili ng OAV ay sa pamamagitan ng matatangap nila sa mail," he added.
There are 1,697,215 registered overseas voters for the May 2022 elections, according to the ABS-CBN Investigative and Research Group, based on data obtained from the Comelec.
Nearly half of them are in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, Garcia explained that the dispatch of automated election system supplies from its Sta. Rosa warehouse last week had to happen at midnight so that the container vans can meet the schedule of ship departures.
“Kasi nga po, pagka isang container van ay isasakay sa barko, yan po ay kalimitan binabyahe ng madaling araw... Bakit? Madaling araw din kasi pag-alis ng barko. 'Di pwedeng mahuli,” he said.
The first supplies to be dispatched were for the Bangsamoro region. The Comelec dispatches supplies meant for the farthest places first. These will then be sent to regional hubs where they will await final deployment on a date closer to the elections.
No official ballots for the 2022 elections have been shipped yet. Although the Comelec and the National Printing Office finished the printing of ballots last weekend, some 300,000 ballots are still up for verification and quarantine.
So far, there are 178,000 defective ballots. These will be destroyed on a date to be announced by the poll body so the public can observe them. Defective ballots will be replaced by the correct ones ahead of the polls.
COMELEC EYES DEBATE SKIPPING AS BASIS FOR CANDIDATE DISQUALIFICATION
MANILA — The Commission on Elections said on Monday it would push for a law that could disqualify local and national candidates from the polls if they refuse to join debates.
The poll body wants to make the debates it organizes mandatory, especially in the next elections, said Comelec Commissioner George Erwin Garcia.
"Kukumbinsihin po natin ang ating kagalang-galang na Kongreso na sana po ay ilagay na po talaga na requirement na a-attend lahat ng magiging kandidato, lokal man at nasyonal, sa mga ipapatawag na debate ng Commission on Election," he said in a televised press briefing.
"Kung hindi, puwede siyang maging ground ng disqualification. At the same time, puwedeng maging ground ng election offense," added the official.
The Comelec over the weekend hosted the second round of its 3 presidential debates ahead of the May 9 elections. Of 10 aspiring presidents, only Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. skipped the Comelec debates twice so far.
With no law requiring candidates to join debates, no-shows are only sanctioned with a ban on airing their "e-rallies" on the Comelec platform, Garcia said.
"Ang debate, sabi ko nga, para itong isang pintuan na magpapakita sa ‘yo ng kaloob-looban at kaisipan ng isang kandidato. Napakaimportante po ito dahil makikita rin ang kahandaan ng kandidato na humarap sa kaniyang mga kababayan na nililigawan niya," said the Comelec commissioner.
"At the same time, nailahad iyong kaniyang nasa isip at iyong kaniyang karanasan tungkol sa pagsolusyon sa problema ng bayan," Garcia continued.
The last Comelec debates for presidential and vice presidential contenders are set on April 23 and 24. These will follow a town hall meeting format, where ordinary voters are expected to get a chance to question candidates, said Garcia.
"Palagay ko po mas magiging maganda ang balitaktakan at saka palitan ng mga opinyon at kuro-kuro," he said.
MARCOSES NOT INSOLVENT: SENATE PROBE ON MARCOS ESTATE TAX SOUGHT
MANILA - The proposed Senate investigation into the estate tax liabilities of the Marcos family is not politically motivated and is of national interest, Sen. Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III said Tuesday.
The investigation is in aid of legislation and the public could benefit from the Marcoses' P203 billion estate tax liabilities, according to the senator.
"They ignored everything, now it’s P203 billion. Di ba tayo interesado doon as a nation? Ngayong marami nang naghihirap, naghahanap ng pondo, saan mangggaling ang ayuda? P100 billion ang hinahanap na ayuda, P203 billion ito," he told ANC's Headstart.
"Di rin naman insolvent ang estate na nagkakautang eh. It's a matter of national interest made all the more interesting because the survey frontrunner belongs to the family who is inheriting the estate of the deceased Ferdinand Marcos. Kailangan ipaliwanag bakit ganun kalaki ang estate."
The Marcoses should have been able to pay the basic estate tax amount that the Supreme Court decided with finality in 1999 which is P23 billion, Pimentel said. The amount has since ballooned to P203 billion due to interest, charges and surcharges.
"Ang estimate ng BIR (Bureau of Internal Revenue) ang estate na ito has more than P100 billion, that's why P23 billion ang tax due. This kind of an estate should be able to afford lawyers that would be able to fight for the rights of the estate," he said.
"The BIR started with the P100 billion. Mas malaki ang estate kesa sa estate tax. We can be able to at least collect the estate tax amount."
Former and current BIR officials and administrators of the Marcos estate must be called to the Senate hearing, Pimentel said.
BAN POLITICAL DYNASTIES? DUTERTE DOUBTS CONGRESS TO PASS ENABLING LAW
President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday expressed doubt that Congress would pass an enabling law to restrict political dynasties.
In a speech in Batangas province, Duterte asked a husband and wife on their candidacies for the May polls.
"Magpalit-palitan lang kayo? You know, ako, ayaw ko man in the sense na if it were another setup or structure, mabuti man talaga ‘yang iba na naman. Dapat iba na," Duterte said after his inspection of an evacuation center.
"Pero kung if we dwell on the present structure crafted in the constitution, eh wala talagang mangyari. Walang enabling law na lulusot diyan sa Congress. Eh puro mag-asawa ‘yan, kundi ang anak, tapos party-list kanya pa," he continued.
The constitution has an anti-dynasty provision, but this has not been implemented due to the absence of an enabling law.
The President acknowledged his daughter is running for vice president, while one of his sons is a vice mayor and the other is a lawmaker. All three children are also running for different positions in the upcoming elections.
"Ako, ayaw ko kasi anak ako ng mahirap. Lahat, lahat ng pumunta ng Mindanao, umalis sa bayan nila kasi naghahanap ng greener pasture. Kagaya ng tatay ko, mahirap man sila doon sa Danao, Cebu," said Duterte, whose father served as governor of Davao.
ZUBIRI DROPPED FROM LACSON-SOTTO SENATE SLATE AFTER ENDORSING MARCOS
MANILA — The tandem of Sen. Panfilo "Ping" Lacson and Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III said Monday that Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri, who is running for another term, is no longer part of their slate after the Bukidnon lawmaker openly endorsed another candidate for president.
Lacson — an independent — and Sotto — chair of the Nationalist People's Coalition — are running for the presidency and vice presidency in the May elections.
They made their decision after Zubiri was seen raising the hand of presidential aspirant Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. during a campaign rally in Bukidnon.
On Monday, Lacson confirmed to reporters that he and Sotto were no longer backing Zubiri.
"Hindi na, hindi na (Not anymore, not anymore)," Lacson said.
GRUPO NG MGA DOKTOR INENDORSO ANG LENI-KIKO TANDEM
Inendorso ng grupo ng 12,000 doktor ang kandidatura nina presidential candidate Leni Robredo at vice presidential candidate Kiko Pangilinan. Pinangunahan naman ng anak ni Robredo ang pagbabahay-bahay na kampanya sa Bulacan.
DILG: MGA GAMIT, KASANGKAPAN NG GOBYERNO BAWAL SA KAMPANYA
Bawal gamitin sa pangangampanya ang mga tao at resource ng lokal na pamahalaan. Ito ang paalala ng Department of the Interior and Local Government sa mga local government unit, kasabay ng babala na posibleng makasuhan ang lalabag dito. Inaasahan namang mailalabas ng Commission on Elections ngayong linggo ang resolusyong bubuo sa task force kontra vote buying.
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INFLATION NEARLY BREACHED GOV'T TARGET IN MARCH AS HIGH FUEL PRICES BITE
MANILA — Consumer prices rose at their briskest pace in six months in March and nearly breached the government’s target, no thanks to unabated rise in fuel prices that forced Filipinos to tighten their belts.
Inflation, as measured by the consumer price index, accelerated 4% year-on-year in March, faster than the 3% clip posted in February, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported Tuesday.
The latest figure, which was the fastest rate since September last year, settled at the upper-limit of the government’s 2-4% target. But it was nevertheless within the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ 3.3-4.1% forecast range for last month.
In a virtual media briefing, National Statistician Claire Dennis Mapa said the magnitude of increase in headline inflation last month was “quite rare”. He recalled that the last time consumer prices grew by a full percentage point was back in 2019 when they surged to 2.4% in December, from a 1.4% print recorded in the preceding month.
Mapa said much of the upward price pressures in March came from costly fuel, which set off an increase in prices of other key consumer items. Energy department data showed oil companies implemented four price adjustments in March, three of which were massive hikes due to rallying world oil prices amid the Russia-Ukraine war.
Broken down, transport inflation rose 10.3% year-on-year in March, with prices of gasoline and diesel growing at annual rates of 36.7% and 58.0%, respectively.
The expensive fuel, Mapa explained, had a “quite substantial” impact on food prices, which jumped 2.6% year-on-year last month. The higher cost of transporting food only exacerbated already elevated prices due to tight supply particularly of pork, which recorded an inflation rate of 2.9% as the country struggles to contain the deadly African swine fever outbreak.
The higher oil prices also spilled over to utilities. PSA data showed costs of housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels jumped 6.2% on-year in March.
In a statement, BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno conceded that the central bank could miss its inflation target again this year because of motoring oil prices. In the first three months of 2022, inflation averaged 3.4%.
So far, the BSP has refused to join a global tightening of monetary policy, believing that sustaining economic recovery from the pandemic should take precedence over taming inflation for now.
AROUND 2,300 GUN BAN VIOLATORS ARRESTED: DIILG
Some 2,300 people have been arrested for violating the poll gun ban since January, the interior department said on Monday.
A poll body resolution prohibits bearing, carrying, and transporting firearms and other deadly weapons from Jan. 9 until June 8, 2022, which covers the election period, "unless authorized" by the Comelec.
The police and military have set up "close to 5,000" checkpoints to implement this ban, said Interior Undersecretary Epimaco Densing.
"As of the last report ng ating kapulisan, mayroon nang mahigit-kumulang 2,300 ng ating kababayan na hinuli po at inaresto dahil po sila ay nag-violate ng election gun ban," he said in a public briefing.
SPORTS
NBA SCORES APR 3
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Mavericks49-30 25 32 33 28 118
Bucks48-30 33 22 32 25 112
FISERV FORUM, MILWAUKEE, WI
SCORING LEADERS
L. Doncic DAL
32 PTS 8 REB 15 AST
G. Antetokounmpo MIL
28 PTS 10 REB 2 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Wizards34-44 22 37 20 23 102
Celtics49-30 35 35 34 40 144
TD GARDEN , BOSTON, MA
SCORING LEADERS
K. Porzingis WAS
17 PTS 7 REB 1 AST
J. Brown BOS
32 PTS 7 REB 5 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Nuggets47-32 24 38 33 34 129
Lakers31-47 28 33 33 24 118
CRYPTO.COM ARENA, LOS ANGELES, CA
SCORING LEADERS
N. Jokic DEN
38 PTS 18 REB 6 AST
A. Davis LAL
28 PTS 9 REB 8 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Pistons23-56 38 24 36 23 121
Pacers25-54 34 32 25 26 117
GAINBRIDGE FIELDHOUSE, INDIANAPOLIS, IN
SCORING LEADERS
S. Bey DET
31 PTS 4 REB 2 AST
O. Brissett IND
20 PTS 10 REB 5 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Knicks35-44 29 28 37 24 118
Magic20-59 20 27 15 26 88
AMWAY CENTER, ORLANDO, FL
SCORING LEADERS
R. Barrett NY
27 PTS 5 REB 6 AST
M. Wagner ORL
18 PTS 9 REB 1 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
76ers48-30 21 28 32 31 112
Cavaliers43-36 23 32 25 28 108
ROCKET MORTGAGE FIELDHOUSE, CLEVELAND, OH
SCORING LEADERS
J. Embiid PHI
44 PTS 17 REB 3 AST
D. Garland CLE
23 PTS 4 REB 4 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Heat51-28 28 17 34 35 114
Raptors45-33 34 21 23 31 109
SCOTIABANK ARENA, TORONTO, ON
SCORING LEADERS
M. Strus MIA
23 PTS 3 REB 1 AST
F. VanVleet TOR
29 PTS 2 REB 7 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Timberwolves45-34 42 38 36 23 139
Rockets20-59 32 36 24 40 132
TOYOTA CENTER, HOUSTON, TX
SCORING LEADERS
A. Edwards MIN
33 PTS 4 REB 5 AST
J. Green HOU
31 PTS 2 REB 5 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Suns62-16 27 26 22 21 96
Thunder23-55 20 32 32 33 117
PAYCOM CENTER, OKLAHOMA CITY, OK
SCORING LEADERS
M. Bridges PHO
18 PTS 2 REB
O. Sarr OKC
24 PTS 6 REB 1 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Trail Blazers27-51 23 33 16 20 92
Spurs33-45 26 22 34 31 113
AT&T CENTER, SAN ANTONIO, TX
SCORING LEADERS
K. Johnson POR
19 PTS 3 REB 2 AST
K. Johnson SA
28 PTS 2 REB 2 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Warriors50-29 28 34 19 28 109
Kings29-50 14 28 25 23 90
GOLDEN 1 CENTER, SACRAMENTO, CA
SCORING LEADERS
A. Wiggins GS
25 PTS 5 REB 5 AST
H. Barnes SAC
18 PTS 10 REB 1 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Pelicans34-44 31 13 27 29 100
Clippers39-40 37 29 26 27 119
CRYPTO.COM ARENA, LOS ANGELES, CA
SCORING LEADERS
C. McCollum NO
19 PTS 3 REB 4 AST
M. Morris LAC
22 PTS 4 REB
INDICATORS
FOREX $1 = P 52.38
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
There are two ways to slide easily through life: to believe everything or to doubt everything; both ways save you from thinking. – Alfred Korzybski
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