LAKAS-CMD SWEARS IN 19 NEW MEMBERS

Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, president of the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD), on Tuesday administered the oath to 19 new party members.

“We welcome our new members and we are happy that they affiliated themselves with Lakas-CMD, which has committed itself to support President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his Agenda for Prosperity and eight-point socio-economic development roadmap,” Romualdez said.

“I hope we will have a fruitful engagement with those joining our ranks and of course with our existing members,” he added.

Fourteen of the 19 new members physically attended the oath-taking ceremony while four others submitted their oath of membership.

Those who attended the oath-taking event were Roberto “Pinpin” Uy Jr. and former Zamboanga del Norte Gov. Roberto Uy Sr.; incumbent Mayors Lorrymir Adasa (Mutia), Marissa Manigsaca (Rizal), Rosendo Labadlabad (Sindangan), Allan Ferrater (Jose Dalman), Jose Micheal Meiko Wong (Katipunan), Eugene Caballero (Manukan), Ismael Renquijo Jr. (President Manuel Roxas), Alberto Bongcawel (Siayan), Salvador Antojado Jr. (Kalawit), Jelster Ed Tiu Quimbo (Labason), and Norabeth Tuse Carloto (Tampilisan); and Julita, Leyte Councilor Jude Andrei Romualdez.

Those who submitted their oath of membership were Evelyn Uy, and incumbent Mayors Eufracio Caidic (Sibutad), Darel Dexter Uy (Dipolog City), Eddie Justin Quimbo (Gutalac), Roberto “Jun” Uy Jr. (Liloy).

Lakas-CMD is now the largest political party in Congress.

SC: MAYNILAD, MANILA WATER CAN’T PASS TAXES TO CONSUMERS

The Supreme Court has declared Manila Water Co. and Maynilad Water Services Inc. as public utilities, which effectively bars them from including their corporate income taxes as part of their operating expenses.

“We rule that Manila Water and Maynilad are public utilities,” the Court said in a decision written by Associate Justice Marvic Leonen.

“A public utility is a business or service engaged in regularly supplying the public with some commodity or service of public consequence such as electricity, gas, water, transportation, telephone or telegraph service,” the Court said.

“In sum, Manila Water and Maynilad may not recover [their] corporate income taxes as operating expenses during the lifetime of the concession agreements considering that they are public utilities. Even assuming that they are not public utilities, they cannot recover income taxes because they are not business taxes under Philippine law,” the Court ruled.

It said “allowing Maynilad to include its corporate income taxes in the rates chargeable to water consumers — taxes which, to repeat, do not inure to the benefit of water consumers — will result not only in unjust but also inequitable rates.”

“A large segment of the water consuming public will be made to pay for something that has no direct benefit to them, while some will enjoy water services without shouldering the same burden. This cannot be allowed,” the Court said.

NO SURVIVORS IN CHINESE FISHING VESSEL CAPSIZING — INITIAL PROBE

BEIJING, China — There were no survivors after a fishing vessel carrying 39 crew members from China, Indonesia and the Philippines capsized last week in the Indian Ocean, according to an initial government probe released on Tuesday.

The Chinese vessel overturned on May 16, with 17 Chinese, 17 Indonesians and five Filipinos on board.

"From an analysis of the ship's capsizing... it is preliminarily judged that there are no survivors from the ship," Beijing's transport ministry said in an official social media post.

The boat capsized within Australia's vast search-and-rescue region, 5,000 kilometres (2,700 nautical miles) to the west of Perth, the state capital of Western Australia.

Chinese state media reported on Monday that seven bodies had been found by Chinese and Sri Lankan rescue vessels, without specifying the nationalities of the dead.

Australia had sent three aeroplanes and four ships to help in the international search-and-rescue efforts.

The rescue operation has been downgraded to a "48-hour small-scale investigation" as of Tuesday morning, the Chinese transport ministry said.

Rescuers had trawled an area of around 64,000 square kilometres (18,700 square nautical miles), and "did not find any sign of survivors", according to the ministry.

The fishing vessel's distress beacon was first detected last week as Cyclone Fabian drove waves as high as seven metres (23 feet) and winds as strong as 120 kilometres per hour (75 miles per hour) through the area.

The capsized vessel was owned by Penglai Jinglu Fishery Company, one of China's major state-run fishing firms.

RODY AS ANTI-DRUG CZAR? SEN. GO FLOATS IDEA TO PNP

Former President Rodrigo Duterte as the anti-drug czar?

Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, Duterte’s erstwhile longtime assistant, broached the idea to Philippine National Police Chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr. on Tuesday during a Senate hearing on the multimillion-peso shabu drug haul last year.

“If ever…. it’s the prerogative of the President (Ferdinand Marcos Jr.), the appointing authority, if ever, acan former President Duterte help in case he will be designated as drug czar?” Go asked Acorda in the hearing chaired by Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa – the police chief in the previous administration.

Acorda said he did not know if he could comment on that “and what will be the setup,” but assured the senators he would be supportive of any decision by President Marcos on the campaign against illegal drugs.

Duterte or the Palace have yet to comment on this possibility as of press time.

Go raised his question after expressing concern that the efforts of the Duterte administration would be put to waste considering the alleged involvement of some cops in the “recycling” of confiscated drugs.

“Let’s not waste what former President Duterte started to fight against illegal drugs. When illegal drugs return, we know that criminality and corruption will return,” he said.

Dela Rosa, who was the first PNP chief of the Duterte administration, also aired his frustration against the cops involved.

He mentioned that his case over the bloody drug war – which government figures said cost over 6,000 lives — has now reached the International Criminal Court (ICC).

“What I feel bad about is that my case has reached the ICC because of our fight against drugs,” Dela Rosa said.

“Despite this, all you think about is money. You are even in a syndicate,” the senator said, adding he could not stomach this happening to the police “where you join a syndicate.”

'BIKOY' FOUND GUILTY OF PERJURY OVER OUST DUTERTE PLOT CLAIMS

MANILA — Peter Joemel “Bikoy” Advincula, the hooded figure in the viral videos that linked former President Rodrigo Duterte and his family to the illegal drug trade, was found guilty of perjury for his claims against 3 lawyers.

While Advincula initially accused the Duterte family of involvement in the narcotics trade in 2019, he later tagged several opposition figures in an alleged plot to oust the then president through the “Ang Totoong Narco-list” videos.

A Manila court sentenced Advincula to up to 1 year and 1 day in prison over false claims against 3 Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) lawyers.

FLAG lawyers Chel Diokno, Erin Tañada and Theodore Te had filed the criminal complaint against Advincula, accusing him of “willful and deliberate” lies in implicating them in the alleged plot to oust Duterte.

Advincula in 2019 claimed he met with then Vice President Leni Robredo, Diokno, Tañada and other Otso Diretso senatorial candidates at the Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City to discuss how to prop up their chances of winning in the elections.

Most of the Otso Diretso candidates denied meeting Advincula while Robredo and former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay said they were nowhere near Ateneo on that day.

Advincula also claimed he met with Te and another lawyer on May 2, days after the videos were circulated online, to supposedly discuss the “finalization” of his “exposure,” referring to a press conference at the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) office in Ortigas a few days later.

The former Supreme Court spokesperson said he met with Advincula on a different date to assess whether FLAG could handle his case. FLAG eventually declined and referred him to the IBP.

Advincula earlier said that all the details he said in his affidavit were true and supported by evidence.

COMELEC REJECTS DEBATE PARTNER IMPACT HUB'S BID TO COLLECT P15.3 MILLION 'DEBT'

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Tuesday it would not pay Impact Hub Manila, the poll body’s partner in mounting the 2022 Pilipinas Debates.

Impact Hub is demanding that Comelec pay P15.3 million as part of its supposed contract for mounting the 2022 election debates.

In a letter addressed to Impact Hub’s supplier, Comelec Executive Director Teopisto Elnas Jr. said the company’s “demand for payment is not accompanied by the documentary requirements necessary to establish the validity of claim.”

Payments that fail to comply with rules can be the subject of disallowance by the Commission on Audit, as well as criminal, civil, and administrative liabilities, he noted.

“In this regard, the Commission is constrained to DENY Impact Hub's claim for P15,300,000.00," the official said.

Speaking to reporters, Comelec chair George Garcia said “5-6” personalities, including current and former Comelec personnel, private and public individuals, may be identified as liable to face charges by the poll body’s investigation panel.

The panel’s report, expected to detail which provisions of the law were violated, is expected to be submitted tomorrow to the en banc and released to the public, Garcia said.

He assured there will be no whitewash in the report.

Garcia said media entities should be the ones that should mount the next debates as what was done previously, following the Fair Election Act.

Impact Hub, led by CEO Celeste Rondario, allegedly issued bouncing checks to debate venue Sofitel Philippine Plaza last year, forcing the hotel to seek Comelec's help in collecting over P14 million in unpaid bills.

This had forced the Comelec to move the last leg of debates a week later, with the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) as new partner.

‘MANO PO’ GESTURE LAUDED AS SPEAKER, GMA, GONZALES STAND UNITED

All is well that ends well with a “mano po” gesture at the House of Representatives.

Speaker Martin Romualdez bowed and placed the hand of former President and Pampanga Rep. Gloria Arroyo on his forehead — the traditional Filipino sign of respect for an elder — during Monday’s House plenary session.

The gesture drew applause from the lawmakers present at the plenary, dousing speculations that the two allies have parted ways after Arroyo was replaced as senior deputy speaker.

Pampanga Rep. Aurelio Gonzales, who replaced Arroyo as senior deputy speaker, did the same honorific gesture.

Before his oathtaking, Gonzales fetched Arroyo from her seat and asked her to join them at the rostrum with Romualdez.

The former President then joined her two colleagues at the rostrum where the Speaker administered Gonzales’ oath of office.

Romualdez and Arroyo are stalwarts of Lakas-CMD. The Speaker is its president while Arroyo is the party’s chairman-emeritus.

Gonzales, on the other hand, belongs to the former ruling party, PDP-Laban.

PASSPORTS AS LOAN COLLATERAL? EMBASSY REMINDS FILIPINOS IT IS ILLEGAL

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Embassy in Singapore issued an advisory reminding Filipinos to refrain from using their passports or any other identification cards as loan collaterals as this is against the law.

Some borrowers usually provide assets to lenders when borrowing money, which lenders or banks could liquidate or seize if they fail to return the money. Authorities have warned the public against loan sharks or informal lenders who have abusive or illegal practices.

“Penalties will be imposed on any individual who uses his Philippine passport as collateral for loan or money owed, in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Philippine government,” the embassy said in an advisory Tuesday evening.

“Creditors who demand surrender of one’s Philippine passport as guarantee for loan will also be penalized.”

Using passports as a loan collateral violates Section 11 of the Philippine Passport Act of 1996, which details that the passport is a property of the government and the passport holder is only a “mere possessor.” The law specifically states that the passport should “not be surrendered to any person or entity other than the government or its representative.”

Rules detailed under a DFA Foreign Service Circular No. 020-2019 or the "Guidelines for Philippine Passports Used as Collaterals will also apply."

The foreign service post’s advisory comes just a few days after the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas also warned the public against using their ATM cards as loan collaterals amid the “Sangla ATM” scheme’s popularity.

Under the scheme, borrowers provide lenders their ATM cards and their personal identification numbers as collateral. The BSP said this may expose the borrowers into having unauthorized withdrawals.

THE REST

========

ABS-CBN SAYS TELERADYO CHANNEL TO CEASE ITS OPERATIONS BY JUNE 30

Media giant ABS-CBN Corp. on Tuesday announced that its long-running television channel TeleRadyo will cease its operations on June 30 – about three years after it lost its free-to-air and cable TV franchises when Congress turned down its renewal under the Duterte administration.

“Since ABS-CBN can no longer sustain TeleRadyo’s operations, ABS-CBN is left with no choice but to cease the operations of TeleRadyo effective 30 June 2923,” the company said in a statement.

However, ABS-CBN Corp. said Tuesday it signed a joint venture agreement with Prime Media Holdings Inc. to produce various content and programs.

The Lopez-led media and entertainment company said it would continue providing news to the public through a joint venture with Prime Media to produce various programs, which would be supplied to broadcasters and other third-party platforms including Philippine CollectiveMedia Corp. (PCMC).

“Under the agreement, ABS-CBN will have a minority stake in the joint venture, and Prime Media Inc. will be the majority stakeholder,” ABS-CBN said.

“This gives some of our former personnel a chance to find job opportunities. It is also a way to continue providing accurate and balanced news and information in the country,” its statement added.

Prime Media said the joint venture with ABS-CBN formalizes the agreement to develop, produce, and finance content, programs, and shows for distribution to local and international broadcast networks, channels, and platforms.

This will expand Prime Media’s business segments and provide streams of revenue such as equity investment and share in future projects, it said. Prime Media is trading under the PSE ticker symbol “PRIM.”

Under the agreement, ABS-CBN will have 49 percent equity with an initial subscription of 19.6 million shares for P19.6 million, and Prime Media will have 51 percent equity and an initial subscription of 20.4 million shares for P20.4 million.

5 MORE COPS HELD IN CONTEMPT OVER DRUG MESS

Five more police officers were cited for contempt on Tuesday at a Senate hearing on a suspicious P6.7 billion drug bust in Manila last year, leading the panel’s chairman, Senator Ronald dela Rosa to fall to his knees and beg cops to tell the truth.

“I am kneeling before you. Please speak. Pity the Philippines,” said Dela Rosa as he rose from his seat and knelt down.

Dela Rosa, who used to be a police chief, said he humbled himself so that the policemen would tell the truth about the drug bust, led by then Master Sgt. Rodolfo Mayo Jr., in which 42 of the 990 kilos seized went missing.

Mayo, who has been detained at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig after being cited for contempt, has been accused of being behind a cover-up that involves other police officials as well.

Dela Rosa’s committee cited in contempt five other policemen: National Capital Region Drug Enforcement (DEG) OIC Lt. Col. Arnulfo Ibañez, Pol. Master Sgt. Carlo Bayeta, Pat. Rommar Bugarin, Pat. Hustin Peter Gular, Pat. Hassan Kalaw, and Pat. Dennis Carolino. They declined to share information on the arrest of Mayo in Bambang last year.

Senator Raffy Tulfo suggested to Dela Rosa to cite Ibañez for contempt for testifying that he was not aware of his subordinate’s activities.

PRIEST’S ARRAIGNMENT SET FOR OFFENDING RELIGIOUS FEELINGS

MANILA, Philippines — A Quezon City court has set the arraignment of exorcist Fr. Winston Cabading on the charge of offending religious feelings.

A staffer at the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 81 said in a phone interview yesterday that the arraignment of Cabading, a parish priest at the Archdiocese of Manila Office of Exorcism, is scheduled on June 1 at around 8:30 a.m.

The case against the 57-year-old Cabading is based on the complaint of former Commission on Elections chief Harriet Demetriou.

Demetriou, a devotee of the Our Lady of Mary Mediatrix of All Grace, accused Cabading of being a “rabid critic” of Mary.

Branch 81 Judge Madonna Echiverri on May 8 issued a warrant for Cabading’s arrest.

The court staffer said Cabading posted a bail bond of P18,000 last week after he was arrested by operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) at the St. Mary Magdalene House in Barangay Kaylaway in Nasugbu, Batangas on May 13 at around 10:10 p.m.

Based on information obtained by the CIDG, Cabading allegedly mocked reports of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary at a conference in Lipa City.

In her complaint, Demetriou said the Mediatrix of All Grace is a Marian apparition that took place in the Carmelite monastery of Lipa sometime in 1948.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

COCO MARTIN, JULIA MONTES PREFER TO KEEP RELATIONSHIP PRIVATE

MANILA — After years of speculation, long-time screen partners Coco Martin and Julia Montes have confirmed being in a relationship.

The couple explained their preference to keep their personal life private, in the process confirming their long-rumored romance, in an interview with ABS-CBN News’ MJ Felipe.

Martin and Montes were asked about their “date” during the special screening of the series “Unbreak My Heart,” which is co-produced by the same unit that produces the actor’s ongoing “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo.”

The two arrived together at the red-carpet event last Sunday, May 21.

“Hindi naman na kami mga bata. Kung ano siguro ‘yung nakikita, iniisip ng mga tao, iyon na ‘yun. Masarap kasi na pribado ‘yung buhay. Tahimik. Walang mga isyu. Ito, masaya kami,” Martin said.

Montes cited their faith as an important part of their relationship.

“Kung ano po ‘yung posisyon namin, or narating namin ngayon, blessed kami. And never kasing nawala sa center si God so parang lahat ng nangyayaring good stuff, si God ang gumawa noon,” she said.

INDICATORS

FOREX $1 = P 55.72

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little. - Edmund Burke