DUTERTE SAYS HE MIGHT SHARE JAIL CELL WITH PUTIN

MANILA—President Rodrigo Duterte said he might share a jail cell with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in the future as the outgoing Filipino state leader launched another tirade against critics of his violent drug war.

During a PDP-Laban rally in Cainta, Rizal on Friday, Duterte again compared his controversial anti-narcotics operations with Putin's war against Ukraine.

"May kaso daw ako sa International Court of Justice (sic), kulungin ako... Eh si Putin binobomba 'yung... anong kasalanan ko? Pinapatay ko kriminal. Si Putin, babae, lalaki, bata, ganon... flattened. Inaakusa rin ng human rights," he said.

"So baka isa kaming selda pagdating ng panahon. Okay lang," the President said.

Duterte incorrectly referred to the ICJ, which is the international civil court that hears disputes between countries.

The International Criminal Court, which investigates and tries individuals charged with the gravest crimes of concern to the global community, is the one looking into alleged crimes against humanity in Duterte's bloody war on drugs.

The ICC—which has suspended its investigation into Duterte's drug war as part of due process following the Philippine government's deferral request—is also looking into Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

INC ENDORSES BONGBONG MARCOS, SARA DUTERTE-CARPIO FOR #HALALAN2022

MANILA — The religious group Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) on Tuesday formally endorsed former senator Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. for president and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio for vice president in the May 9 elections.

"Pagkatapos ng masusing pag-aaral at pagsasaliksik, iaanunsyo ng Iglesia ni Cristo ang mga mapapalad na kandidato na kanilang tutulungan," the church said in a report broadcast on Net 25.

It also announced support for the following 12 senatorial candidates:

•           former Vice President Jojo Binay

•           Taguig Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano

•           former Sen. JV Ejercito

•           former national police chief Guillermo Eleazar

•           Sorsogon Gov. Francis "Chiz" Escudero

•           former Sen. Jinggoy Estrada

•           Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian

•           Antique Rep. Loren Legarda

•           Actor Robin Padilla

•           Sen. Joel Villanueva

•           former public works and highways Sec. Mark Villar

•           Sen. Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri"

"Ang kaisahan ng iglesia ay kinikilala ng mga miyembro nito na isa sa mga aral sa Bibliya na dapat na sundin. Ang pasya ng pamamahala ng iglesia ay iginagalang ng mga miyembro nito," a NET 25 news anchor said.

Marcos thanked the church for its endorsement.

"Ako po at ang aking pamilya, sampu ng buong alyansang nakapaloob sa UniTeam, ay labis na nagagalak at buong pusong nagpapasalamat sa suportang inihayag ng kapatirang Iglesia Ni Cristo, sa pangunguna ng kanilang Tagapamahalang Pangkalahatan Kapatid Eduardo V. Manalo," he said in a statement.

DUTERTE URGES VOTERS TO GET COVID-19 BOOSTER JABS BEFORE #HALALAN2022

MANILA - President Rodrigo Duterte urged voters to get their COVID-19 booster shots before casting their ballots on May 9, when some 67 million people are expected to flock to polling centers.

"It’s still available and anybody can have it," Duterte said of booster jabs in a national address that aired on Tuesday.

"Because it's election time, there will be a crowd again of people congregating, and it would be good to have booster shots before you go out and mix with the crowd," he added.

Health experts earlier raised concern on the waning immunity from COVID-19 shots, the emergence of more transmissible omicron subvariants, and a possible surge of infections after the elections if health protocols are violated.

Booster jabs "can protect you and you can vote sans the worry of getting the infection again," Duterte said.

COMELEC CONFIDENT OF 'SMOOTH' MAY 9 POLLS AFTER FINAL TESTING, SEALING

MANILA — Commission on Elections (Comelec) chair Saidamen Pangarungan said Tuesday that he hopes the final testing and sealing of vote counting machines (VCM) this week will boost voter confidence in the May 9 elections.

After observing the final testing and sealing at a precinct in San Juan City, Pangarungan said that the voting process was "smooth."

"Nakikita natin na 'yong proseso sa election ay okay naman. Nakita natin 'yong proseso dito, napaka-smooth o walang malfunction o anything," he told reporters.

"Very, very satisfied. I will consider it flawless," he added.

The testing and sealing began when electoral board members acquired the VCMs and brought them into their respective polling precincts.

There, VCMs were unboxed, while 10 testing ballots were allotted per precinct. The ballots were then used by individuals who cast their votes for testing purposes.

When Pangarungan arrived at one of the precincts, the electoral boards walked him through the process from unboxing, voting, up to the generation of election returns.

The Comelec chair then read aloud one of the test election results, but declined to name names as real candidates were used in the test ballots.

The VCMs will stay in the voting precincts until election day; however, the actual official ballots will only be distributed to the electoral board dawn of election day.

DUTERTE SAYS AFP, PNP SHOULD BE AUTOMATICALLY EXEMPTED FROM GUN BAN

MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte wants the military and the police to be automatically exempted from the election gun ban, saying they should not be subjected to numerous requirements because they are tasked to maintain law and order.

During a meeting with some Cabinet members last Monday, Duterte informed Interior Secretary Eduardo Año about policemen and soldiers who were arrested in checkpoints and asked him whether they were still required to present a gun ban clearance given by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Año said soldiers and policemen apply for gun ban exemptions and the Comelec approves their request. He added that the arrests made against uniformed personnel who were carrying firearms without gun ban exemptions were just isolated incidents. Soldiers who are in uniform and who are in their area of operation won't be arrested because they have mission orders from their commanders, Año said.

Duterte said requiring policemen and soldiers to secure clearances from the Comelec individually is "really a bad idea." He noted that some policemen are assigned in an area that is different from where he lives.

"I’m suggesting to everyone...if you are a duly-appointed military man or if you are there in the roster of soldiers and the police, it should be automatic," Duterte said.

"I’m just advising Comelec through this program. It is my stand that a policeman may have difficulties securing whatever clearance is needed in the bringing of his handgun or rifle, for that matter... Sometimes, there would be no time... to secure a certificate of whatever," he added.

Duterte said the processes involved in securing permits could be tedious for those who are traveling to another province or city.

He noted that in Davao City, where he served as mayor for more than two decades, a uniformed personnel only needs to present a mission order or a proof that he is a member of the police or military force

"Do not ask for something else because it's their job to maintain law and order, whether it is election time or not," Duterte said.

"Why only during an election?  You know elections here are a hate game for some politicians. After the elections, there (is) still the possibility of violence before, during, and after a certain period. So it’s not time to be imposing so many requirements," he added.

17 FILIPINOS WITH COVID-19 IN SHANGHAI DISCHARGED; 4 STILL ACTIVE CASES

MANILA — Some 17 Filipinos who caught COVID-19 in Shanghai, China have been discharged from quarantine facilities, the country's consul general there said Wednesday.

Philippine Consul General Josel Ignacio said the consulate tallied 21 COVID cases among Filipinos in the Chinese financial capital.

"Ang cumulative cases po na nasundan natin ay 21... Subalit ang napalabas na, ang discharged ay 17. Kaya ibig sabihin po, 4 na lang ang active," he told TeleRadyo.

Ignacio said 4 COVID-positive Filipinos are completing their quarantine. The patients are exhibiting mild symptoms, he added.

Most of Shanghai's 25 million residents have been confined to their homes for weeks as the city battles a major COVID outbreak.

Hundreds of thousands of virus-positive people have been taken to makeshift facilities as China does not allow them to quarantine at home.

Shanghai on Monday was under a patchwork of different restrictions as new virus cases dropped to around 7,000, with 32 dead.

City authorities have imposed a 3-tiered system of "freedoms," although stringent local enforcement appeared to still restrict the majority of residents to within compounds or neighborhoods.

China's relentless pursuit of a zero-COVID policy has left many Shanghai residents chafing under the tight curbs.

Ignacio said the strict lockdown also prevents Filipinos from casting their ballots for the 2022 elections.

There are around 1,600 Filipino voters in Shanghai.

PRESS FREEDOM DAY: BIG TECH URGED TO PROBE ONLINE ATTACKS ON PHILIPPINES JOURNALISTS

MANILA — Foreign correspondents working in the Philippines on Tuesday urged social media platforms to investigate online attacks their colleagues have endured during the campaign season.

In a statement marking Press Freedom Day on Tuesday, May 3, the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines identified the social media harassment and threats as coming from supporters of presidential candidate and survey frontrunner Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.

"We call on companies behind social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook (Meta), Instagram, Google and YouTube to investigate these attacks as possible coordinated behavior and how provocative content by pro-Marcos personalities endangers, smears and incites hate and possible attacks on independent journalists," FOCAP said.

It expressed grave concern over the attacks, citing three instances harassment. These include:

-Washington Post Manila Correspondent Regine Cabato was called a "whorenalist." She also faced online attacks for a well-vetted story she wrote on historical revisionism;

-BBC correspondent Howard Johnson's was subjected to a barrage of online abuse—with a supporter threatening that someone will "slash his neck for besmirching the Filipino's reputation"— after he asked on film how Marcos Jr. can be a good president if he does not allow "serious interviews."

-When senatorial bet Larry Gadon, an ally of Marcos Jr., posted an obscene and expletives-laden attack on South China Morning Post journalist Raissa Robles after she tweeted about the presidential bet's past tax conviction.

It has also been difficult for journalists to reach Marcos Jr. and his campaign team for answers on longstanding issues and controversies, FOCAP said.

"He has not submitted himself to a free-flowing, open and uncensored press conference during the entire campaign like most other candidates and has stayed away from independent but potentially critical debates and interviews, including those organized by the Commission on Elections," it said.

His media relations team, moreover, has still accredited news staffers from over a dozen FOCAP news agencies, and does not regularly reply to inquiries, requests for comment, and permissions for use of materials, according to the group.

It added that there are incidents when reporters have been roughhoused while trying to get close to him in his campaign trail.

"All these restrictive actions undermine a critical and free press in an Asian bulwark of democracy and have sparked fears of how independent media would be treated under another possible Marcos presidency," FOCAP said.

While expressing its grievances about how the Marcos campaign treats journalists, FOCAP said it maintains a non-partisan stance in the May 9 elections.

Human rights group Karapatan, meanwhile, sees a possible Marcos-Duterte administration as posing further threat to the practice of independent journalism in the country.

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MORE TROOPS DEPLOYED IN LANAO DEL SUR TOWN

MANILA — An additional 100 soldiers have been deployed in Malabang, Lanao del Sur, which has been placed under the control of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Maj. Gen. Juvymax Uy, 6th Infantry Division (ID) and Joint Task Force Central commander, said the First Marine Brigade also dispatched two more companies in the town.

The Committee on the Ban on Firearms and Security Concerns of the Comelec had earlier placed Malabang and Tubaran in Lanao del Sur under the control of the poll body.

Intense political rivalry between two candidates for mayor was monitored in Malabang while a history of election-related violent incidents was reported in Tubaran.

Previous declaration of Comelec control in the area, politically motivated violence involving candidates or their supporters, and the presence of private armed groups and serious threat posed by communist and other rebel groups are among the grounds to declare an area under the control of the poll body.

Mayor Tomas Macapodi, whose brother Al-Rashid is running for mayor, thanked the 6th ID for deploying additional soldiers.

Meanwhile, 2,973 people have been arrested since Jan. 9 for violating the election gun ban, the Philippine National Police (PNP) reported yesterday.

The PNP said the gun ban violators were apprehended in 2,850 law enforcement operations.

70 HOSPITALIZED AFTER EATING FOOD AT CAMPAIGN RALLY

KORONADAL CITY — Seventy people were hospitalized after eating food served during a political rally in Lake Sebu, South Cotabato on Sunday.

Local officials confirmed the incident, saying an inquiry is ongoing.

Responders from the Lake Sebu municipal disaster risk reduction and management council rushed the victims to different hospitals for treatment.

The victims were attending a political gathering in Barangay Tasiman, which was organized by the supporters of Lea Bobong, a candidate for the municipal council.

The people reportedly experienced abdominal pains and nausea two hours after eating the food distributed by the event organizer.

The report did not mention the kinds of food given to the victims.

Local officials said they would issue a final statement on the case within this week.

4 NPA REBELS KILLED IN BICOL ENCOUNTERS

MANILA — Four New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas were killed in encounters with government troopers in Bicol on Monday.

Reports reaching Camp Aguinaldo yesterday showed that soldiers belonging to the 49th Infantry Battalion clashed with NPA rebels at the boundary of Pio Duran in Albay and Barangay Sta. Cruz in Donsol, Sorsogon.

Three NPA rebels, including their leader identified only by his alias of Bong, were killed.

Two M16 rifles, a caliber .45 pistol, subversive documents and personal belongings were recovered at the scene.

Another rebel was killed in the encounter at the vicinity of Barangay San Isidro in Palanas, Masbate at around 5 p.m.

A caliber .357 revolver was among those reportedly recovered from the fatality.

Meanwhile, in Bacolod, a self-confessed NPA platoon leader identified only as Vince and his partner Karrel surrendered to the police yesterday.

City police chief Col. Joseph Thomas Martir said the surrender was facilitated by non-government organization Task Force Kasanag.

Vince claimed he served as leader of Sentro De Grabidad Platoon 2 of the Komiteng Rehiyonal-Negros South West Front while his partner is a member of Sandatahang Pamproganda Platoon 1 of the same rebel unit.

ISKO LAUGHS OFF SURVEY RATINGS

MANILA — Manila Mayor Isko Moreno yesterday laughed off his dismal Pulse Asia ratings and bid himself good luck as he prayed for a miracle in the May 9 elections.

With just days before the end of the campaign period, Moreno returned to his mayoral duties yesterday as he cancelled his sortie in Quezon province to inspect the ongoing renovation of the Dr. Alejandro Albert Elementary School in Sampaloc.

In the Pulse Asia survey conducted from April 16 to 21, Moreno slid to fourth place with four percent, down from eight percent in the March survey, overtaken by fellow presidential aspirant Sen. Manny Pacquiao, who garnered seven percent.

“Four percent? Talaga? Good luck to me,” he said.

Moreno registered his lowest placing in the latest survey since he declared his presidential bid last year.

His Pulse Asia ratings had ranged from eight percent to 10 percent from January to March, and his OCTA Research survey from nine to 12 percent in December, February and April surveys.

Moreno acknowledged that he has always had slim chances in surveys, but vowed not back out from the derby.

“Pray for me, I need a miracle,” Moreno told an elderly woman, who comforted him with an embrace.

FAIR WEATHER EXPECTED ON #HALALAN2022: PAGASA

MANILA – Fair weather can be expected in most parts of the country on election day, state weather bureau PAGASA said Wednesday.

Weather forecaster Ana Clauren-Jorda told TeleRadyo that they are not monitoring any weather disturbance that may affect the country on May 9.

“Mataas lamang po yung tsansa ng mga pag-ulan po natin sa bahagi ng Mindanao, pero overall sa umaga ay magiging maganda at maaliwalas naman po ang ating panahon,” she said.

Filipinos are voting for new leaders for the first time under a pandemic on May 9, Monday. Face masks need to be worn and minimum public health standards will be followed, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

SHAINA MAGDAYAO SHOWS SUPPORT FOR LENI ROBREDO

MANILA -- Shaina Magdayao on Tuesday publicly showed her support for the presidential bid of Vice President Leni Robredo in the upcoming elections.

On Instagram, the actress posted a photo of her with a pink flower -- a known symbol of Robredo's campaign -- behind her ear.

"Ako si Shaina Magdayao. Pilipino. Taxpayer. At gusto ko ng bukas na kulay rosas," she said.

Magdayao now joins the likes of Vice Ganda, Piolo Pascual, Regine Velasquez, Anne Curtis, Kathryn Bernardo, and Nadine Lustre, among others, as celebrities who have voiced their support for Robredo.

Currently, she is part of the hit Kapamilya series "FPJ's Ang Probinsyano."

SPORTS

NBA SCORES MAY 2

FINAL

1          2          3          4          T

4 76ers0-1        22        29        21        20        92

1 Heat1-0         30        20        30        26        106

GAME 1: MIA LEADS 1-0, FTX ARENA, MIAMI, FL

SCORING LEADERS

T. Harris PHI

27 PTS 6 REB 1 AST

T. Herro MIA

25 PTS 1 REB 7 AST

FINAL

1          2          3          4          T

4 Mavericks0-1 25        31        23        35        114

1 Suns1-0         35        34        27        25        121

GAME 1: PHO LEADS 1-0, FOOTPRINT CENTER, PHOENIX, AZ

SCORING LEADERS

L. Doncic DAL

45 PTS 12 REB 8 AST

D. Ayton PHO

25 PTS 8 REB

INDICATORS

FOREX $1 = P 52.36

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

All things are difficult before they are easy. - Thomas Fuller