SC JUNKS PLEAS VS MARCOS JR. CANDIDACY, CLEARS PATH TO INAUGURATION

MANILA — The Supreme Court has junked petitions challenging the candidacy of Ferdinand Marcos Jr., clearing the path to his oath-taking as the 17th president of the Philippines.

The SC en banc voted 13-0 to junk one plea challenging the Commission on Elections's ruling that junked their petition against Marcos' Certificate of Candidacy and another that dismissed their disqualification case.

"The Court held that in the exercise of its power to decide the present controversy led them to no other conclusion but that respondent Marcos Jr. is qualified to run for and be elected to public office. Likewise, his COC, being valid and in accord with the pertinent law, was rightfully upheld by the Comelec," the Supreme Court Public Information Office said in a release.

No other details on how the justices agreed that Marcos’ COC is valid following the law — as upheld by the Comelec — was given in the briefer.

Associate Justice Rodil Zalameda penned the ruling, but a full copy of the decision has yet to be made public.

Associate Justices Henri Jean Paul Inting and Antonio Kho Jr. took no part in the decision. Kho was elections commissioner before he was appointed to the SC while Inting's sister Socorro is a sitting Comelec commissioner.

The SC resolved the petitions just two days before Marcos’ inauguration on June 30.

MARCOS CAMP SEES 'VINDICATION' IN JUNKING OF DISQUALIFICATION PLEAS

MANILA — The Supreme Court "vindicated" the belief of President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s camp that the disqualification cases against him were "without merit," his lawyer said on Wednesday.

The high court, in a 13-0 vote with 2 abstentions, dismissed the cancellation of certificate of candidacy and disqualification cases filed by civic leaders and martial law survivors against Marcos.

The Marcos camp had "expected a unanimous decision," said lawyer Estelito Mendoza.

"We did in fact foresee it because the petitions were without merit. Now that belief has been vindicated by the 13-0 vote," he told ANC's Headstart.

The Supreme Court merely affirmed the decision of the Commission on Elections' division and en banc, said Mendoza.

"We explained that there was no false statement in the certificate of candidacy and the Comelec, first in division and then en banc, sustained that position," he said.

The petitions against Marcos argued he was perpetually disqualified from holding public office after a 1997 Court of Appeals ruling affirmed his conviction for non-filing of income tax returns (ITRs) from 1982 until 1985.

Marcos earlier said the failure to file an ITR is not a crime involving moral turpitude. He added that the rule imposing perpetual disqualification on government officials found guilty of violating the Tax Code did not apply to him as it came into effect only in 1986, after the supposed violations.

Mendoza said "there must be an explicit statement from the decision of the court that the taxpayer is perpetually disqualified."

The high court in its ruling could have taken into consideration the 31 million votes that Marcos received in the May elections and his inauguration on Thursday, Mendoza said.

"I think the Supreme Court takes that into consideration when it resolves cases as quickly and as speedily as it did in this case. The grounds of the decision are altogether clean and unquestionable," he said.

"It is incumbent upon the citizenry to respect what is the decision of the Supreme Court, the highest judicial tribunal in our country, and that is how democracy works."

SEC HAS UPHELD ORDER TO SHUT DOWN RAPPLER, SAYS RESSA

MANILA — The Securities and Exchange Commission has upheld its 2018 decision to order the shutdown of news company Rappler Inc, its CEO and veteran journalist Maria Ressa said.

In a statement made at the East West Center conference, Ressa said the SEC “affirmed its earlier decision to revoke the certificates of incorporation of Rappler Inc. and Rappler Holdings Corporation (RHC).”

“We were notified by our lawyers of this ruling that effectively confirmed the shut down of Rappler,” she added.

The order is dated June 28, but a copy of it has yet to be made public.

Ressa, who was speaking at the conference said they will appeal the decision, especially that the “proceedings were highly irregular.”

The EWC, which is holding its conference abroad, shared Rappler’s statement on its Twitter account. Rappler meanwhile has yet to release its statement to Philippine media.

In a statement, the SEC said the latest order against the company "merely puts in effect its earlier decision and those of the Court of Appeals."

"The contentions raised by Rappler and RHC have been squarely and adequately addressed by the SEC and the CA in their respective decisions, resolutions and orders, including the latest issuance from the Commission," corporate regulators said in a statement.

The case stemmed from the SEC’s order to cancel the certificate of incorporation of the online news site's operator and Omidyar Network's PDR — a financial instrument that gives foreign investors passive economic interest in a Philippine company — in January 2018. The regulatory body held that the company allegedly violated the constitutional and statutory Foreign Equity Restriction in Mass Media.

Rappler appealed the SEC ruling before the Court of Appeals, which ordered the regulatory body to look into the effects of Omidyar’s donation. Omidyar is a "philanthropic investment firm" founded by French-born Iranian-American billionaire Pierre Omidyar.

But, according to their lawyer Francis Lim’s update in November 2021, the SEC "submitted a report to the Court of Appeals saying it [donation] has no effect without giving us the opportunity to comment on the effect." The report was without comment from Rappler.

Lim said they also filed an appeal before the SEC panel on its report.

"It depends on how the [CA] views the SEC decision upholding the revocation, whether it’s already final and therefore cannot be revisited by the same division of the Court of Appeals," Lim said then.

Ressa, however, said it will be “business as usual at Rappler since in our view, this is not immediately executory without court approval.”

Rappler continues to operate the news site as of this story’s posting.

HUSBAND-WIFE, PARENTS-CHILDREN DYNASTIES DOT 19TH CONGRESS

MANILA — AIt’s a family affair in both houses of Congress.

Unpopular as it may be, husbands and wives, mothers and sons and father and daughter/siblings (or half-brothers) have been duly elected by their constituents, and are now set to fulfill their mandates in both houses of the incoming 19th Congress.

On top of the heap are mother-and-son Senators Cynthia and Mark Villar, whose sister Camille was re-elected representative of the lone district of their hometown Las Piñas, followed by siblings Senators Pia and Alan Peter Cayetano.

Alan Peter’s wife Lani, a former congresswoman, has just returned to the Taguig City Hall as its local chief executive.

There is also the estranged half-brothers Senators Jinggoy Estrada and JV Ejercito, whose sibling rivalry has been public knowledge, not just to their San Juan constituents, but to the national consciousness.

As it is now, no less than president-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. may be guilty of leading the political dynasty himself, having his elder sister Sen. Imee Marcos and his son Sandro as a first-time congressman of their home province Ilocos Norte.

Newly elected Sen. Raffy Tulfo also has his own family affair in the incoming Congress: his wife Jocelyn is a representative of their family party-list ACT-CIS, which topped the May 9 elections and obtained three slots, and their son Ralph, representing Quezon City’s 2nd District.

There is also long-time Sen. Bong Revilla, whose entire family is into politics: actress-wife Lani Mercado returns as congresswoman, their sons Jolo and Bryan will sit as nominee of the new party-list Agimat.

Raymond Democrito Mendoza of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines was re-elected, along with his daughter Samantha, who represents the South Cotabato district, whose governor is her mother, Emmylou Talino-Mendoza, a former representative.

At the House of Representatives, the husband-and-wife tandem is led by no less than incoming speaker Leyte First District Rep. Martin Romualdez, whose congresswoman-wife Yedda Marie is the first nominee of Tingog party-list.

They are also joined by couple Representatives Jayjay Suarez and his wife Alona in Quezon province, Horacio Suansing Jr. of Sultan Kudarat and wife Estrellita of Nueva Ecija, and Florencio “Bem” Noel and Jaye Lacson of An Waray party-list and Malabon District, respectively.

In separate events, vice president-elect Sara Duterte and her father, outgoing President Duterte, administered the oath to Romero, president of the 60-member strong Party-list Coalition Foundation Inc. in Congress, in Davao City.

The younger Duterte, who will be the incoming education secretary of the Marcos administration, also attended the oath-taking ceremony of Velasco, a very close friend, held at the Marinduque Sports Complex in Boac town.

TWO DAYS BEFORE END OF TERM, ROBREDO OFFICE GETS HIGHEST COA RATING

MANILA -- Outgoing Vice President Leni Robredo on Wednesday said her office received the highest rating from the Commission on Audit (COA) for the fourth straight year.

"What a fitting exclamation point to our 6 years at the OVP," the official said in a tweet.

An "unqualified opinion," is considered the best a government agency can receive from state auditors.

The OVP first received the highest audit rating in 2018, a year after it was flagged by the COA for delays in liquidating travel expenses.

In recent years, her office executed pandemic and calamity response programs, including free swab tests, COVID care kits, and COVID vaccinations. Her office had also implemented poverty reduction schemes through Angat Buhay.

Robredo, 57, is set to step down on June 30, with Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte succeeding her.

She placed second in the May presidential race, garnering 15,035,773 votes, next to President-elect Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.

Her spokesman has since said that she is doing "good" after the elections.

NTC MOVES TO RESTRICT BLOCKTIME AGREEMENTS, MERGERS

MANILA — The National Telecommunications Commission has restricted blocktime arrangements and mergers, a move that coincided with reported talks between ABS-CBN Corp. and TV5 Network Inc. on such an arrangement.

In a memorandum dated June 23, the NTC restricted the amount of airtime that a radio or TV station can sell to blocktimers to just 50% of daily airtime.

ABS-CBN is not named in the order, but the media giant has since entered into blocktime agreements with Zoe Broadcasting Network and TV5 for some of its shows to return to free TV since its broadcast operations were shut down following a House of Representatives panel’s rejection of its application for a fresh franchise.

Journalist Cito Beltran said in his column on the Philippine Star that the memo is “intended as another nail to keep the coffin of ABS-CBN shut and to stop the migration of talents and content to TV5 via block time.”

Beltran also said that lawyers are calling this memorandum an “overreach.” “The NTC is not a landlord or legislator and should not interfere in contractual and legal obligations of parties entering into a business agreement. They have no business declaring legal liabilities unless directly provided for by law,” he said.

He also warned that the NTC memorandum will “inadvertently give undue favor or advantage to the dominant network in the industry.” GMA Network Inc. has emerged as the biggest winner in the ABS-CBN shutdown as it raked in profits following the demise of its stiff competitor.

Meanwhile, another NTC memorandum mandates that those with broadcast licenses should not deal “with those who have outstanding obligations to the national government and local government units” on matters like mergers and acquisitions.

Grantees of broadcast licenses should ensure that all parties it transacts or enters into agreements with should obtain clearances particularly from the Bureau of Internal Revenue, Bureau of Customs, the NTC and the Securities and Exchange Commission, the memo said.

Manny Pangilinan, which owns TV5 through MediaQuest Holdings Inc., was quoted as saying that “nothing definitive or final has been reached,” while ABS-CBN did not confirm or deny the talks in a filing with the local stock exchange.

EXPANDED SOLO PARENTS WELFARE ACT LAPSES INTO LAW

MANILA — The Expanded Solo Parents Welfare Act, which grants more benefits to single parents, has lapsed into law on June 4, 2022.

Under the Constitution, the president can veto a bill, sign it or let it lapse into law thirty days from the time he receives the final enrolled form.

The law, known as Republic Act (RA) 11861, allows for a P1,000 monthly cash subsidy for solo parents earning minimum wage, and a 10% discount on certain medicines and food supplements purchased by low income solo parents who have children six years and below.

Other benefits include priority in low-cost housing, coverage from Philippine Health Insurance Corp., educational scholarships for children, among others.

RA 11861 also says that no employer shall discriminate against solo parent employees with regards to their terms and conditions of work.

The law also grants a yearly forfeitable and non-cumulative parental leave of not more than seven days with pay for each regularized solo parent employee.

Sen Risa Hontiveros, a solo mother of four kids, said she shares the victory of the law's passage with the millions of solo parents across the country.

"I’m intimately familiar with the feeling of not being sure how to pay for my children’s tuition, not knowing who can accompany me if one of them gets sick," Hontiveros, the principal author of the solo parents welfare bill in the Senate, said in a statement on Tuesday.

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ART FESTIVAL TO MARK LAUNCH OF ROBREDO NGO

MANILA — A two-day street and art festival will mark the launch of the Angat Buhay non-government organization (NGO) of Vice President Leni Robredo later this week.

The event will be held at the volunteer center for Robredo’s presidential campaign in Katipunan, Quezon City on Friday and Saturday.

Robredo, who will officially end her term as vice president on Thursday, said some of the pink memorabilia and artworks they received during her campaign would be featured.

Slots for those who wish to physically attend the event were all taken within hours after its announcement.

The organization said those who would not be able to attend physically may follow the activities on its newly launched social media pages.

Robredo earlier announced her plan to launch the Angat Buhay NGO once she steps down as vice president to harness the support she received during the campaign.

“We will establish the widest volunteer network in our country. Our mission to help those in the fringes of our society will continue… We will not choose who we will help. We will not turn our backs on anyone. We will show the full force of radical love,” she said during a thanksgiving activity days after the elections.

According to the event brief, Angat Buhay aims to bring together the public and private sectors to address the needs of those in the farthest and poorest communities.

DILG: OVER 600K TRIKE DRIVERS NATIONWIDE SET TO RECEIVE FUEL SUBSIDY

MANILA — The Department of the Interior and Local Government said that a total of 617,806 qualified tricycle drivers nationwide are set to receive their fuel cash subsidy under the Pantawid Pasada Program for Tricycle Drivers to alleviate soaring pump prices amid the pandemic.

isburse the fuel subsidy either through the beneficiaries’ e-wallet accounts, branches of the Landbank of the Philippines, or off-site payout by the local government units.

“We hope that through this fuel subsidy, the suffering of tricycle drivers caused by the continuous increase in crude oil prices and slowdown in travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic will be alleviated. This is the government's way of showing its concern for our tricycle drivers,” said Año.

More than 148k trike drivers disqualified

The subsidy will be distributed in three batches.

The first batch is for the 539,395 trike drivers who were able to provide an e-wallet account. The secind batch is for the 73,233 drivers who will avail of the over-the-counter transactions at the Land Bank of the Philippines branch nearest them. The third batch is for the 5,178 drivers who will avail of on-site payout at the LGUs.

"Everyone on the masterlist of qualified tricycle drivers will receive a fuel subsidy. Let's just wait for the LTFRB's notification for details and more information," he said.

TROPICAL DEPRESSION CALOY MOVES SLOWLY OVER WEST PH SEA

MANILA – Tropical depression Caloy continues to move slowly over the West Philippine Sea, state weather bureau PAGASA said Wednesday morning.

In its 5 a.m. weather bulletin, PAGASA said Caloy was last spotted 395 km west of Iba, Zambales.

It has maximum winds of 45 kph and gustiness of up to 55 kph. It is moving westward slowly , according to the state weather bureau.

Caloy will continue to enhance the southwest monsoon or habagat, which is expected to bring rains to Bataan, Zambales, Palawan, Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, Aurora, and Quezon.

PAGASA weather forecaster Ana Clauren-Jorda said Caloy is expected to leave the Philippine area of responsibility within the next 24 hours.

She noted, however, that it may still continue to enhance the southwest monsoon for the next two to three days.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

NEW SNAPS OF KOBE PARAS, ERIKA POTURNAK FUEL ROMANCE SPECULATIONS

MANILA – Rumors romantically linking Kobe Paras and Erika Poturnak intensified on Tuesday as the basketball player posted photos with Ina Raymundo’s daughter.

On his Instagram account, Paras released snaps from his Bali, Indonesia vacation alongside some of his friends.

In the series of photos, Paras shared a couple of snaps with Poturnak – including one hugging her in what appeared to be a sunbed.

The photos added fuel to ongoing speculations about a possible romance between the two, after they were spotted together earlier this month.

Poturnak posted on her Instagram Story a collage of snaps taken during their beach getaway, including a selfie with Paras.

Paras also shared Poturnak’s social media post. The two were accompanied by their friends.

After graduating from high school in 2020, Poturnak signed with the local talent agency Cornerstone Entertainment. She is Raymundo's eldest child with husband Brian Poturnak.

Paras, on the other hand, is a son of actress Jackie Forster and Benjie Paras, an actor and former basketball player.

INDICATORS

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Everything is worth what its purchaser will pay for it. - Publius Syrus