CAYETANO OPPONENTS LOSE KEY HOUSE POSTSMANILA — A minor revamp has been implemented in the House ofRepresentatives, just days after Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano revealed analleged plot to oust him, as three officials close to his perceivedsuccessor were removed from their posts.Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab, who is closely identified with Davao CityMayor Sara Duterte, was removed as chairman of the powerful Houseappropriations committee and replaced by neophyte Rep. Eric Go Yap ofparty-list ACT-CIS.Yap, former chairman of the House committee on games and amusement, is aclose friend of Sara’s brother, Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte. Abra Rep.Joseph Bernos will take over Yap’s committee.Oriental Mindoro Rep. Doy Leachon – a close ally and confidant ofspeaker-in-waiting Rep. Lord Allan Velasco of Marinduque – was also removedas chairman of the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal.Leachon was replaced by fellow lawyer Rep. Ron Salo of party-list Kabayan,who previously chaired the House committee on public information. Salo nowleads the nine-member tribunal that resolves and settles electoral protestsamong congressmen.In reaction, Ungab said, “I believe that the only guide to a man is hisconscience, and the truth will always prevail no matter what. I have servedmy country and people well to the utmost of my ability. I accept my fate andso be it.”Leachon, in a separate statement, said, “I will always be mighty proud of myactions as I was raised and taught that there is never a wrong time in doingthe right thing. They can rob and take away all of our positions, especiallyfrom PDP-Laban, but we’ll never bow down to this masked leadership oftyranny. It will always be a nice feeling putting a hard fight for a friendand our cause.”NEW CONCURRENT RESOLUTION URGING NTC TO EXTEND ABS-CBN FRANCHISE FILED IN SENATE9 senators back new resolutionMANILA (UPDATE) - A new concurrent resolution urging the NationalTelecommunications Commission (NTC) to allow ABS-CBN Corp to operate whileCongress is still finalizing its franchise renewal bid was filed in theSenate on Monday.There is "an urgent need" for the NTC should issue a provisional authorityfor ABS-CBN Corp "to operate under the terms of its existing franchisepending final determination of the renewal" of its license to operate,according to Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 7.Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, Senate Majority Leader Juan MiguelZubiri, senators Sonny Angara, Nancy Binay, Sherwin Gatchalian, Lito Lapid,Manny Pacquiao, Grace Poe and Joel Villanueva authored the resolution."The non-renewal of ABS-CBN's franchise will result in the loss of thousandsof jobs as the network has over 11,000 employees," the resolution read."The removal of a market leader such as ABS-CBN would have a significantimpact, not only on competition within the broadcasting industry, but alsoon the economy as a whole," it said.The resolution noted that GMA 7, TV5 and the Catholic Bishops' Conference ofthe Philippines "were allowed to operate under the terms of their existingfranchise even after its lapse and pending renewal."Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon earlier filed a similar concurrentresolution, and a separate joint resolution seeking to extend ABS-CBN'sfranchise until December 31, 2022.PALACE DEFENDS DUTERTE’S POLL SPENDINGMANILA — Malacañang denied yesterday that President Duterte violatedelection spending rules in 2016 as it dismissed Kontra Daya’s allegation asmere speculation.“(The President) has not violated any law and he will not. He enforces thelaw. He is number one among those who are against violators. How can heviolate the law?” presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a chanceinterview.Panelo said Duterte is open to an investigation on the allegation that heoverspent during the campaign.“Every time he’s being accused, he would say, file charges if what you aresaying is true,” Panelo said.Panelo said some of the money spent by the Duterte campaign team forcommercials were donations.“When you’re running for any position, there are friends and supporters whocontribute… who pay for your advertisements – they like him,” the Palaceofficial said.The poll watchdog Kontra Daya urged the Commission on Elections (Comelec)yesterday to investigate Duterte’s campaign spending in the 2016 polls,saying it now appears that he is the “bigger fish to fry” based on thecommercial spots his camp bought from ABS-CBN network.DAVAO CITY REP. UNGAB OUT AS HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE CHAIRMANILA - The one-time bet of Paolo and Inday Sara Duterte for the HouseSpeakership of the 18th Congress was unseated Monday as chair of thepowerful House Committee on Appropriations amid talks of a looming coupagainst Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano.Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab was replaced by ACT-CIS Rep. Eric Yap, upon theapproval by the full House of the nomination made by Senior Deputy MajorityLeader Jesus Crispin Remulla.Yap, an ally of Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte in the National Unity Party,assumes chairmanship of the committee that prepares the annual nationalbudget.Rep. Joseph Sto. Nino Bernos, meanwhile, takes over the chairmanship of theGames and Amusements Committee which Yap used to head.In a press conference, Yap said he had no prior knowledge about the changesand was only informed when he arrived at the House of Representatives onMonday.Yap, who was part of the bicam in the 2020 budget, said he did not get totalk to Ungab and had not seen him yet.“Wala ako idea ano nangyari. Hindi kasi ako active sa news. Kanina,pagkapunta ko, kinausap ako ni Speaker tungkol sa trabaho, saresponsibility... Siyempre, kumbaga ako, nagtatrabaho lang dito. Kung anonaman i-utos sa akin, gagawin ko lang po," he said.Yap said even Rep. Duterte, whom he confirmed as his friend, was surprisedby the development. But he said he doesn't think his close relations withthe presidential son was what got him the job.Rep. Duterte doesn't meddle in politics as the president's son just attendsto work, Yap said.'UNACCEPTABLE': SARA DUTERTE'S PARTY BLASTS ALLY'S OUSTER FROM KEY HOUSEPOSTMANILA - The regional party of Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, who iscredited for orchestrating a House coup that toppled its leader, saidTuesday that the removal of its member from a key post was "unacceptable"and "disadvantageous."Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano was earlier quoted as saying that Davao City 3rdDistrict Rep. Isidro Ungab was removed as chairperson of the Houseappropriations committee because the latter was "more interested inintrigues" than working with him.Hugpong ng Pagbabago, which Duterte-Carpio chairs, "strongly condemns" theUngab's chairmanship removal, the party said."For HNP, the ouster of Ungab was grossly unacceptable as it isdisadvantageous to the Duterte administration’s reform agenda for theFilipino people and the country," Hugpong said in a statement.Hugpong said Ungab is "a good soldier" of the President who did his job"with pride and principle."Duterte-Carpio declined to comment on Ungab's ouster."I can only comment on our full support to congressman Ungab," she said.She also said she had no knowledge of any coup attempt to kick out Cayetanofrom power. "Wala akong personal knowledge of any coup attempt," she said.Ungab lost his committee post after Cayetano accused another lawmaker,Marinduque Rep. Allan Lord Velasco, of attempting to grab the House's toppost, which the latter denied.SACKED MALL GUARD HOLDS DOZENS HOSTAGE; 1 HURTMANILA — A man was shot and at least 30 people were held hostage yesterdayby a disgruntled security guard who was fired from work at a mall inGreenhills, San Juan City.The hostage-taker, Archie Paray, former security guard of V Mall, shot oneof the guards as he entered its administration office on the second floor,according to Mayor Francis Zamora.Paray was armed with a gun and grenades, Zamora, who served as one of thenegotiators, said.“He was upset after he was fired from his job. He wanted to get the otherguards to join him for some sort of coup against the mall management,”Zamora.The victim was taken to the Cardinal Santos Medical Center where he is instable condition.Zamora said the suspect was sacked by Safeguard Armor Security Corp.(Sascor), which provides security for the mall.The mayor said the hostage-taker demanded an audience with fellow guards andthe media.A Special Weapons and Tactics team entered the four-story mall, which hasmore than 100 outlets. Shoppers were evacuated and a security cordonestablished around the area.The mall had been placed on lockdown following the hostage-taking incident.According to the Greenhills shopping center management, most of the hostageswere mall employees and vendors.“Our priority is to ensure the safety of the employees and of the public,”the management said in a statement.Col. Orlando Yebra of the Eastern Police District said the suspect had goneon absence without leave for two weeks.Fernando Solina, head of Greenhills corporate safety, clarified that Paraywas not sacked.Paray was dismayed that he had to be transferred to another post, Solinasaid.In a video call aired in public by security officials of Greenhills shoppingcenter, Paray accused Sascor officials of corruption.The officials of the security agency resigned from their posts yesterday andapoligized to Paray.They are Sascor field officer Henry Tuason, mall security coordinatorSalvador Capadocia, assistant director Frederick Salvador, general managerOscar Hernandez, operations director Villamor Luis Jr. and Solina.Paray released the hostages after authorities complied with his demands.He walked out of the mall together with the hostages.WORKERS GROUP URGES PROBE INTO DISGRUNTLED GUARD'S ALLEGATIONS VS SECURITYAGENCYMANILA — A labor group called on the government to look into issues raisedby a disgruntled security guard who held hostage dozens of people at a mallon Monday.Thadeus Ifurung, Defend Jobs Philippines spokesperson, urged Labor SecretarySilvestre Bello III and San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora to look into andshed light on Archie Paray’s grievances.In a statement, Ifurung stressed that the workers’ group does not condoneParay’s act of hostage taking, but it called on an investigation into “thealleged mishandling of the security agency and the Greenhills management totheir personnel and supposed corruption in the company, alleged illegaltermination and inhumane working conditions inside their workplaces.”The incident lasted 10 hours, with one guard shot and at least 30 people,mostly employees and vendors of Greenhills shopping center, held hostage byParay, who is a former Safeguard Armor Security Corportation (SASCOR)security guard.Bello, in a phone patch interview with CNN Philippines, said he has alreadydirected Labor Undersecretary Ana Dione and DOLE’s NCR to “immediatelyinspect that [security] agency.” The investigation will also cover the"whole mall management, including occupationala and health standards," Bellosaid.26 TRAVELERS FROM S. KOREA VIRUS HOTBED ALL FOUND, QUARANTINE SET: DOHMANILA — Authorities have traced all 26 travelers from the epicenter ofSouth Korea's coronavirus outbreak, who arrived in the Philippines last weekahead of a travel ban, the health department said Tuesday.One of the 26 Koreans from Daegu City, which accounts for the bulk of SouthKorea's 4,000 virus cases, gave erroneous information on his whereaboutswhich made it difficult for authorities to find him, said Health AssistantSecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire.The foreigner was eventually found at a hotel in Cebu province. He and 7other Koreans from Daegu will be quarantined at hotels there for 14 days,Vergeire told DZMM.Seventeen other travelers from Daegu have returned to South Korea, whileanother was found in Angeles, Pampanga, north of the capital, she said."Wala pa hong nakakapagpakita ng signs and symptoms [ng sakit] sa kanila,"added Vergeire.The Philippines so far confirmed 3 cases of the disease, including onedeath, all from Wuhan City in central China, where the virus was firstdetected.SUPREME COURT BANS SINGLE-USE PLASTICS IN ITS OFFICESMANILA — The Supreme Court (SC) yesterday announced that it has bannedunnecessary single-use plastics in its offices, as the high court workstoward turning the judiciary into a more environment-friendly governmentbranch.The SC sent the memorandum through its Office of Administrative Services,directing the implementation of the outright ban on single-use plastics inits offices.SC spokesman Brian Keith Hosaka said that while there was no mention ofsanctions imposed on those who would not abide by the memorandum, it isbelieved that taking care of the environment should be everyone’s concern.“There is no sanction as per the memo… I guess when it comes to theenvironment it is a given that we should help and protect it,” Hosaka said.OVERWEIGHT COPS FACE RELIEFMANILA — Overweight and obese police officers should be in shape as theyface relief due to their bulging waistlines, the Philippine National Police(PNP) said yesterday.The Directorate for Human Resource and Doctrine Development (DHRDD) isplanning to sanction overweight policemen for less grave neglect of duty.“At the end of every quarter, all overweight police personnel withunsatisfactory compliance will be charged for less grave neglect of duty,”DHRDD Maj. Gen. Amador Corpus told reporters at Camp Crame in Quezon City.Corpus said police officers who refuse to undergo body mass indexmeasurement would also face relief.The sanctions range from withholding from privileges to suspension,according to PNP spokesman Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac.PNP chief Gen. Archie Francisco Gamboa has ordered obese police officers toreduce weight to improve their health and image to the public.NBA SCORES MARCH 1FINAL    1    2    3    4    Tteam logo Bucks 52-8    26    19    25    23    93team logo Hornets 21-39    20    23    25    17    85SCORING LEADERSG. Antetokounmpo MIL41 PTS, 20 REB, 6 ASTD. Graham CHA17 PTS, 2 REB, 3 ASTFINAL    1    2    3    4    Tteam logo Mavericks 37-24    28    35    18    30    111team logo Timberwolves 17-42    24    20    21    26    91SCORING LEADERSK. Porzingis DAL38 PTS, 13 REB, 4 ASTD. Russell MIN16 PTS, 9 REB, 7 ASTFINAL    1    2    3    4    Tteam logo 76ers 37-24    39    33    24    34    130team logo Clippers 41-19    34    36    38    28    136SCORING LEADERSS. Milton PHI39 PTS, 3 REB, 5 ASTK. Leonard LAC30 PTS, 6 REB, 3 ASTFINAL    1    2    3    4    Tteam logo Pistons 20-42    31    20    19    30    100team logo Kings 26-34    16    34    26    30    106SCORING LEADERS    C. Wood DET20 PTS, 12 REB, 0 AST    D. Fox SAC23 PTS, 3 REB, 7 ASTFINAL    1    2    3    4    Tteam logo Raptors 42-18    32    37    27    22    118team logo Nuggets 41-19    40    33    27    33    133SCORING LEADERSO. Anunoby TOR32 PTS, 7 REB, 3 ASTN. Jokic DEN23 PTS, 18 REB, 11 ASTFINAL    1    2    3    4    Tteam logo Lakers 46-13    29    34    30    29    122team logo Pelicans 26-34    33    28    34    19    114SCORING LEADERSL. James LAL34 PTS, 12 REB, 13 ASTZ. Williamson NO35 PTS, 7 REB, 0 ASTFINAL    1    2    3    4    Tteam logo Wizards 22-37    35    28    31    30    124team logo Warriors 13-48    28    29    19    34    110SCORING LEADERS    B. Beal WAS34 PTS, 2 REB, 8 AST    A. Wiggins GS27 PTS, 6 REB, 2 AST