PBBM MEETS CAMBODIAN KING, VIETNAMESE PM

Cambodia is hosting regional leaders for the 40th and 41st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and Related Summits in Phnom Penh, where Mr. Marcos also held bilateral talks with the Vietnamese side led by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

Earlier, the President agreed with a group of Cambodian business leaders to enhance collaboration in digitization, low-cost housing, and other fields that can help accelerate post-pandemic economic recovery.

While the Philippines considers Vietnam an “important partner” in ensuring food security, Mr. Marcos noted a significant trade imbalance between the two countries.

He expressed hope that Vietnam would help the Philippines address this problem, as the former accounts for 90 percent of Manila’s rice imports.

The President told PM Chinh that he looks forward to working closely with Vietnam and having greater engagement toward enhancing relations in agriculture and other areas, such as trade, investment, defense, and maritime security.

“As we have observed, the Philippines and Vietnam since the beginning of our diplomatic relationship, have had a burgeoning, a growing relationship, both in the political and security side and of course, in terms of trade and in people-to-people exchanges,” Mr. Marcos said.

MARCOS DISCUSSES MYANMAR CRISIS WITH CAMBODIAN PM

CAMBODIA- President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. held a bilateral meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on the sidelines of the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and Related Summits on Thursday evening.

Regional issues such as the ongoing political crisis in Myanmar, the country that has been in chaos since a coup in February last year.

Marcos also stressed the need to address the effect of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

"We discussed at length Myanmar and the possible areas of agreement within the different member states in ASEAN including, up to and includingt the problems we are feeling from conflict in eastern europe bet Russia and Ukraine," Marcos said in an interview.

The Department of Foreign Affairs, in an earlier press conference, said that the "five-point consensus" containing recommendations of leaders in resolving the Myanmar conflict would be tackled in the meetings in ASEAN.

Aside from the Cambodian Prime Minister, Marcos also held another bilateral meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

They have agreed to further strengthen their partnerships to deepen the two countries' relations across several areas such as defense, trade, investment, agriculture and maritime security.

"It is interesting to listen to the positions of the different coutnries on various issues," Marcos said.

DFA Asec. Nathaniel Imperial said that Marcos would be having bilateral meetings also with the leaders of South Korea and Brunei on Sunday.

SENATE OKS OP'S INTEL FUNDS, GIVES ADDITIONAL P1B TO DOJ FOR 2023

MANILA — The Senate on Thursday approved the proposed 2023 budgets of the Office of the President (OP) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) amid opposition from some senators.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III heavily questioned the OP’s proposed P8.9 billion budget for 2023, where 65 percent of its MOOE (Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses) or P4.5 billion will be used as “Confidential and Intelligence Fund (CIF).”

The OP’s Confidential Fund amounts to P2.25 billion and the other half will go to Intelligence Fund.

“Why should the Office of the President be given an Intelligence Fund at P2.25 billion when there are already existing intelligence agencies and units which can serve the intelligence needs of the Office of the President himself?” Pimentel asked.

Senate Finance committee chairman Sen. Sonny Angara, who defended the OP’s proposed budget, explained the importance of a CIF to the president.

Government agencies in reality do not share intelligence information, Angara said, making it necessary for the OP to also have its own resources which it can use to gather its needed data.

“The buck stops with him. So, if there is one person who is in need to good intelligence or information in the whole country, I think there is no argument that it is our President. Because he’s responsible. Even things which are not his fault are blamed on him. I think he deserves to know what is promising,” Angara said.

Pimentel later on said he would still move to reduce the President’s CIF but was quick to acknowledge that he will be “defeated” in the end.

Less than hour later, the OP’s proposed budget was “deemed submitted” to the Senate floor as an approved appropriation.

'WISHFUL THINKING': REMULLA REJECTS BANTAG AS 'STATE WITNESS' IN LAPID MURDER CASE

MANILA — Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Thursday rejected the idea of considering suspended Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) director Gerard Bantag as a “state witness” in the Percy “Percival Mabasa” Lapid murder case.

According to Remulla, the investigation is still ongoing and Bantag, who was tagged as the alleged “mastermind,” does not fit the main criteria of being the “least guilty.”

“Just to discharge a person as a state witness is a big thing already. It will not happen just like that… That’s wishful thinking. Kasi ano eh, to be discharged, you have to be the least guilty. That’s one of the things we have to think about,” Remulla pointed out.

The question was raised a day after Lapid’s brother, Roy Mabasa, floated the idea of seeing Bantag as a “state witness” should he decide to tell all.

Remulla reiterated his assurance to Bantag of his protected rights and safety once he gives himself up to authorities.

Remulla said they will soon serve a subpoena to the former BuCor chief, who would be required to answer the allegations against him.

“We’re presuming that he knows his rights. He has the right to counsel, he has the right to face his accusers in court. We will give him a copy of the documents so he can answer,” Remulla said.

Remulla believes Bantag is still in the country.

The National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine National Police (PNP) on Monday filed 2 separate murder complaints before the Department of Justice (DOJ) against Bantag and another BuCor official tagged as masterminds in the killing of Lapid and the alleged middleman Crisanto/Jun Villamor.

DOLE REVIEWS MINIMUM WAGE FOR POSSIBLE HIKE

As prices of basic commodities continue to increase, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has ordered a review for a possible minimum wage increase next year.

According to Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma, the Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Boards are obligated to conduct a review to “keep pace with whatever developments in the work sector.”

The DOLE has started to pitch the idea to the private sector regarding the issue. However, he noted that minimum wage adjustments could be implemented only once a year.

The last wage hikes were granted in 14 regions in June this year.

Increasing the daily take-home pay of minimum wage earners will be a “very tough balancing act,” Laguesma told ABS-CBN News, as small businesses are still reeling from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The DOLE chief said a possible wage increase may also have an adverse effect on the labor market.

Inflation hit 7.7 percent in October, which is the highest in nearly 14 years, largely due to higher food and transport costs. In September, around 2.5 million Filipinos are unemployed.

Senator Risa Hontiveros, meanwhile, said Malacanang should work more closely with lawmakers for new laws and policies to increase workers’ wages and accelerate job creation across the country.

These moves, she said, will help Filipinos cope with runaway inflation.

NDRRMC SAYS DAMAGE DUE TO ‘PAENG’ TOPS P11B

Damage to agriculture and infrastructure from Severe Tropical Storm Paeng has reached more than P11 billion, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported Thursday.

In its latest situation report, the agency placed damage to agriculture at P6.19 billion in the Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), and the Cordillera regions.

About 144,682 farmers and fisherfolk were affected by the tropical cyclone.

Meanwhile, infrastructure damage was estimated at P5.05 billion in the Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Davao region, Soccsksargen, BARMM, and Cordillera.

Damaged houses were put at 53,906 — 47,988 were classified as “partially damaged” and 5,108 were categorized as “totally damaged”.

The total number of verified deaths from the tropical cyclone stands at 127, while the number of those injured has reached 146, with 117 confirmed.

A total of 19 out of 30 reported missing persons have been validated.

IWAHIG PRISONER TAGS BUCOR EXEC IN LAPID MURDER

An inmate brought to the New Bilibid Prison from the penal colony in Palawan has pointed to Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Senior Superintendent Ricardo Zulueta as the person who delegated the order to kill broadcaster Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa.

Denver Mayores, who was transferred from the Iwahig Penal Colony, said in a sworn statement that Zulueta asked him to find a person who could kill Mabasa.

Zulueta was named in the murder complaints filed by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Philippine National Police this week along with suspended BuCor director-general Gerald Bantag, and inmates linked to the death of Mabasa and Bilibid inmate Cristito Villamor Palaña or Jun Villamor.

The NBP prisoners facing murder complaints were identified as Mario Alvarez, Joseph Georfo, Christam Ramac, Ricky Salgado, Ronnie Dela Cruz, and Joel Reyes.

Meanwhile, the BuCor is considering cutting all communication lines inside Bilibid in the next 30 days, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said Thursday.

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REMULLA TO EXPLAIN PHILIPPINES RIGHTS RECORD BEFORE UN BODY

MANILA — Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla is leaving for Geneva today to present the Philippine government’s human rights efforts before the United Nations Human Rights Council.

The Philippines’ human rights record will be examined by the UNHRC’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group for the fourth time on Monday.

In his radio program, Remulla yesterday said that he has a lot of reports to present, including the nine new cases of alleged “abuse of power” of some law enforcers involved in the illegal drug campaign during the administration of former president Rodrigo Duterte.

“The cases are moving. We’re identifying them one by one,” Remulla said, referring to cases handled by the National Bureau of Investigation, which is an attached agency of his department.

Asked if the cases were related to the extrajudicial killings, Remulla responded in the affirmative, but clarified that they call it “abuse of power” or “abuse of authority”  and “other wrong things that were done” in the country’s so-called war on drugs.

“Abuse of power is not state policy. We have to tell them that,” he added.

In a two-page statement, Remulla said that he will lead the Philippine government delegation that will participate in the fourth cycle of the UPR of the Philippines.

The Philippines is one of the states to be reviewed by the UPR Working Group during its session taking place from Nov. 7 to 18 in Geneva, Switzerland, which marks the beginning of the UPR fourth cycle, the UNHRC said.

The country’s first, second and third UPR reviews took place in April 2008, May 2012 and May 2017, respectively.

SEVEN DEAD IN CLASHES BETWEEN PHILIPPINE MILITARY AND MUSLIM REBELS

MANILA — Seven people have been killed in fighting between the Philippine military and Muslim rebels in the country's south, authorities said Thursday, in one of the deadliest clashes since a landmark peace pact was signed in 2014.

The ongoing fighting broke out Tuesday in Basilan island province, off the main southern island of Mindanao, following what the military said was a "miscommunication" between its soldiers and members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

For decades the Catholic-majority Philippines has been plagued by violent insurgencies, including a Muslim-led separatist uprising that has killed more than 100,000 people.

A peace deal with the MILF, the largest of the rebel groups, was sealed in 2014.

Its leaders now head a self-ruled area in the former battlefields that include Basilan, as the process of disarming the MILF's 40,000 fighters drags on.

Government officials and former rebels who now lead the transitional government in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao have expressed concern over the latest clashes.

Presidential peace adviser and former military chief Carlito Galvez said he was "deeply concerned" and efforts were underway on the ground to defuse tensions.

"We cannot allow this latest incident in Basilan to negate the major gains we have achieved over the years," Galvez said in a statement posted on Twitter Thursday.

PNP ARRESTS 25,568 IN 100 DAYS

MANILA — The Philippine National Police arrested 25,568 wanted persons in 100 days, PNP chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. said yesterday.

Azurin said that among those arrested were 19 of the “most wanted” persons with bounties offered by the government.

“PNP units accomplished the duty of law enforcement to implement orders of the court to effect arrest of criminal offenders,” he said in a statement.

Azurin also cited a Pulse Asia survey wherein the PNP posted “high performance ratings” on promoting peace, enforcing the law and fighting criminality.

“Our steadfast commitment to pursuing good governance and to creating more stable, peaceful and secure communities for the Filipino people is what unites all our sustained efforts,” he said, noting that the PNP seeks to follow the “national strategic direction” set by President Marcos on peace and security.

Azurin called on all police officers to “maintain their vigor until all criminals are brought to justice and be held accountable for their felonies.”

MERALCO RECORDS RISING CASES OF WIRE THEFT

MANILA — Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) raised an alarm over the rising cases of wire theft in the past two years, which it said caused power interruption in affected areas and harmed consumers.

Meralco said it recorded 457 incidents, 106 of which resulted in service interruptions and eight caused injuries and death, Meralco operations services manager Efren Olpindo said yesterday.

“It’s quite alarming because we see the trend is going up. It causes interruption and harm to the public and perpetrators,” he said.

Around half of the thefts occurred in Metro Manila.

“Looking back further, 2019, before the pandemic, we recorded 75 cases. But come 2020, this increased to 137, to 173 in 2021 and to 147 as of October 2022,” Olpindo said.

Perpetrators resort to cable theft to sell the copper or aluminum parts to junk shops. Compared to the wires of telecom companies, the power cable is bigger and has higher voltage, which means more metal.

While cable theft only has minimal impact on the company, Olpindo said the impact is more on the consumers through power interruptions.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

PIA WURTZBACH HIGHEST-PAID FILIPINO ON INSTAGRAM — STUDY

MANILA — Miss Universe 2015 Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach is the highest-paid individual on Instagram in the Philippines, according to a recent study.

Chicago-based online lender NetCredit.com created an algorithm to to find the highest earners on Instagram from every country.

From a list of each country's most-followed personalities, NetCredit.com used figures from British engagement company Hopper HQ's "Instagram Rich List 2022" to estimate fee-per-ads of each individual, then counted the number of sponsored posts in 2021 multiplied by the estimated ad fees.

The data showed that Pia earned nearly $3.67 million (P213 million) from Instagram ads in 2021, the second-highest in Southeast Asia behind BLACKPINK's Lisa from Thailand who earned $8.76 million (P508 million).

Overall, the highest-paid earner on Instagram is football star Cristiano Ronaldo who earned $85.2 million (P4.95 billion) in 2021 from ads. His rival Lionel Messi was close behind him in second, with $71.96 million (P4.18 billion) earned the same year.

Fellow footballers dominated in Europe such as France's Paul Pogba, Germany's Toni Kroos, Belgium's Kevin De Bruyne, the Netherlands' Virgil Van Dijk, Sweden's Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Croatia's Ivan Rakitic.

Other athletes in the European data were mixed martial artist Conor McGregor from Ireland, Formula 1 driver Valtteri Bottas from Finland, and tennis players Roger Federer (Switzerland), Novak Djokovic (Serbia), and Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece).

Outside of sports, Dua Lipa was the United Kingdom's highest earner with $13 million (P755 million) while strongman and "Game of Thrones" actor Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson from Iceland earned $1.37 million (P79.6 million).

In the United States, it was television host Ellen DeGeneres earning $33.73 million (P1.96 billion) as she commands $750,000 (P4.35 million) per sponsored ad, though just trailing her are singer-actress Beyonce and comedian Kevin Hart.

Other big names include South Korean musician Jisoo with $18.9 million (P1.09 billion), Canadian singer Justin Bieber with $4.43 (P257 million), Israeli actress Gal Gadot with $3.49 million (P202 million), and Australian actor Chris Hemsworth with $2.73 (P158 million).

SPORTS

THOMPSON, SOTTO POWER GILAS PAST JORDAN

There was a void left to be filled with NBA star Jordan Clarkson of the Utah Jazz out of the Philippine lineup in its FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers’ 5th window.

Thankfully, a couple of Gilas players, from Kai Sotto to Scottie Thompson, stepped up in a 74-66 victory over Jordan on Thursday (Friday, November 11, Manila time) at the Prince Hamzah Hall in Amman.

Sotto led Chot Reyes’ wards with 16 points and 7 rebounds, while Thompson unleashed a great all-around game of 8 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists as the Philippines handed Jordan its first home defeat since 2018.

Also joining the fray was Ray Parks, who scored 11 of his 13 points in the first half to keep Gilas in the game, where it trailed by 37-41 at the half.

It was in the third quarter, though, where Gilas finally overcame the hump with a 21-point barrage, while limiting the Jordanians to just 10 to enter the payoff period holding a 58-51 lead.

Thompson, Sotto and CJ Perez then led the charge in the second half, with the Ginebra star’s barrelling layup putting Gilas up 69-57 before a stunned home crowd.

Perez also added 11 points

It was a balanced effort as Gilas put 10 players on the scoreboard with three players scoring over 10 points.

INDICATORS

FOREX $1 = P 58.19

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Every man takes the limits of his own field of vision for the limits of the world. - Arthur Schopenhauer