MANILA - Manila Police District (MPD) Chief Supt. Rolando Anduyan said on Tuesday that he would not condone the illegal acts of his brother who was arrested in a drug buy-bust operation in Iligan over the weekend. READ: PDEA-Lanao del Norte busts a sibling of a PNP general & brgy chair
Operatives of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) arrested Antonio Quiros Anduyan, 3rd, a.k.a. "Suye," who was No. 2 on its watchlist in Region 10 and therefore, considered a high-value target. In a statement, Chief Anduyan said he would not interfere with the case of the suspect, a half-brother, especially since there was enough evidence to prove that he broke the law.
According to the report by PDEA Region 10, six heat-sealed sachets of suspected crystal meth or "shabu," estimated at P70,000, were confiscated from the suspect. Suye Anduyan is expected to face charges for violating the Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. [Kim Malait, The Manila Times]
MANILA - The Philippines has specifically invited Japenese shipbuilder Tsuneishi Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. to expand its existing operation in Cebu to Iligan City to create more jobs near the Marawi area.
ILIGAN CITY - The Philippine Drugs Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Region 10-Lanao del Norte Special Enforcement Team arrested, early evening on July 28, a brother of a barangay chair and of a police general in a drug buy-bust operation in Purok 8, Barangay Saray, Iligan City. PDEA 10 Regional Director Wilkins Villanueva said the target, identified as Antonio Quiros Anduyan Jr., also known as Soye, was listed as number two target drug personality in Iligan City and considered a high-value target by the drug agency.
ILIGAN CITY - The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) seized Monday (30 July 2018) some P300,000 worth of marijuana in sealed plastic sachets from a dealer at dawn in Barangay Tibanga, this city.
JOLO, Sulu - President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on Friday, July 27, extended relief assistance to victims of a huge blaze that razed around 13 hectares of lands in two villages here.
ZAMBOANGA City - President Rodrigo Roa Duterte led the distribution Thursday of relief assistance to the survivors of a blaze here, promising them to rebuild their houses soon.
IPIL, Zamboanga Sibugay Province - President Rodrigo Duterte today announces the appointment of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Martires as the new Ombudsman, replacing Conchita Carpio-Morales, who retired today.
MANILA - Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Officer-in-Charge J. Prospero de Vera III said on Friday the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law is crucial to the full implementation of Republic Act No. 10931 or Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act. Citing the high cost of providing free and quality college education, de Vera said he is not in favor of the TRAIN law suspension. "I have come out publicly to support TRAIN because higher education requires a lot of funding from the national government. We want to make sure that RA 10931 is implemented fully and we have enough sources for that," he told press briefing.
De Vera said CHED's Php40-billion budget for the initial implementation of free college tuition and miscellaneous fees from 2017 to 2019 comes from the revenues generated by the TRAIN law. "The computation of that budget is already anchored in TRAIN. So we cannot expand access to free education. If the TRAIN is suspended, our revenues will be less and there will be less money to use. We will have to cut back on the expectations on the implementation of RA 10931," he said. De Vera noted that there will be another batch of K to 12 graduates next year who are looking forward to receiving free college education from state colleges and universities. "What are we going to do with them? There will be less money to allocate for the universities which give free tuition. It's as simple as that. If the TRAIN is suspended, at the best, we will have to maintain existing levels if there are no new revenues. At the worst, we have to have cutbacks," he said. While CHED offers other scholarship programs to poor but deserving college students, de Vera said they will not be enough to cover the reimbursement for a free college education because they are need- or merit-based. "If you take away their (state college and universities) reimbursement from the national government, we will have to go back to allowing them to charge tuition and fees. Otherwise, they won't be able to operate. Running an educational institution is very expensive -- payment for power, water, maintenance of buildings. Their income generation projects are not as substantial and reliable as tuition and miscellaneous," he said. Depending on the revenue the government would be able to raise through the TRAIN law, de Vera said CHED plans to propose a Php11-billion increase in the budget for the next school year. "This is because there will be additional students and we want to increase the 300,000 slots for Tertiary Education Subsidy for the poor students to 400,000," he added. [Ma. Teresa Montemayor, Lyda Gail Suyu, PNA]
MANILA - The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Monday filed a criminal complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman against former President Benigno Aquino III, former Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, former Health Secretary Janette Garin and several others for the illegal purchase of the controversial Dengvaxia vaccine.
MANILA - Malacanang on Monday said it sees no problem with the decision of former President Benigno Aquino III to skip the third State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on July 23.
MANILA - Senator Sonny Angara has welcomed President Duterte's move to certify as urgent the Universal Health Coverage bill, saying that he is expecting the President to urge Congress to pass the measure in his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) next week.
Malaysia (15 Jul 2018) - President Rodrigo Roa Duterte thanked the Filipino boxing icon, Senator Manny Pacquiao, on Sunday, for giving the Philippines pride and honor after winning a technical knockout win over Argentina's Lucas Mattysee in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
MANILA - Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Officer-in-Charge Emmanuel C. Leyco reiterated that only indigent older persons are covered by the Social Pension Program provided for by the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010 or Republic Act 9994.
PANHUA Group, China's leading integrated steel producer and exporter to the US, is set to invest a total of $3.5-billion for an integrated steel mill inside Phividec Industrial Estate in Misamis Oriental. The steel complex will manufacture steel products of various applications, complete with a modern port and a 300-hectare industrial park.
