PNP-HPG Apprehends A Police Officer

An officer of the Philippine National Police- Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) was commended by the netizens for performing his duty without exceptions. The said officer apprehended a police officer for counterflowing traffic near EDSA and Taft Avenue. 

The netizens salute the officer for proving that PNP-HPG is serious in their duty in decongesting the traffic in EDSA. 

The PNP-HPG is now the authority that is handling the traffic in EDSA in hope of lessening the traffic in one of the most crowded road in Manila.

Duterte: "I'm not running for president"

DAVAO CITY – This is the final word: Mayor Rodrigo Duterte is retiring from politics and will not run for president next year.

“I would like to categorically state now... that I am not running for president,” Duterte told a press conference at the Grand Menseng Hotel   here yesterday afternoon.

“I have no ambition to become president. I’m sorry to all of you who believe in me, who spent money and toiled tirelessly to advertise my name.”

He is retiring from politics and is not seeking any national or local post, Duterte said. 

“I believe it is no longer my time to be in politics,” he said. “I will retire after my term. Thank you.” 

He hopes that his pronouncement would end the long wait of his supporters, some of whom have spent huge amounts of money for his possible presidential run next year, Duterte said.

“I have talked with my family regarding the matter and after talking to them, I decided I am not running at all,” he said.

“After talking to my family and to all persons interested in my career as a politician, I would like to categorically state now and also to put a stop to the agony of those who believe in me that I am not running for president.” 

He also talked with his daughter, former mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio about her political plans, Duterte said.

“In 2016, Inday and I have an understanding   that I will ask her to run for the mayorship,” he said. “In 2016 I will retire from public life for good.”  

Duterte’s son, Sebastian, is also being groomed to run for Congress in the city’s third district. 

Duterte hurriedly left the Grand Menseng Hotel after making the  announcement that lasted for  about 10 minutes. 

He refused to answer any question regarding his decision. 

However, he will continue to push for a shift to a federal form of government, Duterte said. He thanked supporters from different parts of the country that he had visited for his listening tour. He will push for the senatorial candidacies of his good friends Representatives Mark Villar of Las Piñas, Roman Romulo of Pasig City, and Samuel Pagdilao of ACT-CIS, Duterte said.

Article from The Philippine Star

FEATURED SONG: Single Forever by KI

Check out this song from KI and JMC 3Veni entitled 'Single Forever'.

This song will make you feel that it is better to be single than to be in a relationship because of a lot of reasons mentioned in the song. Also, the song will make you somehow laugh because of its tone.

Do you agree on what he was trying to point out? Share your comments below.

Palace hopes Chinese President will attend APEC Summit in Manila

Malacañang hopes Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders’ summit in Manila in November despite the strained relations between the Philippines and China as a result of the West Philippine Sea dispute.

This developed as  Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said over dzRB that he considered it a welcome development that Filipinos have been found to be the most concerned in the Asia Pacific region about the raging maritime dispute, at least based on a survey. He said this indicates that more Filipinos are aware of the issue.

Coloma said the Philippines would like to see not just Xi but other APEC heads of states attending the summit on Nov. 18 to 19.

“We expect the 21 economic leaders to be in full attendance during APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting...Of course, we are hoping that all of them, without exception, will be present,” Coloma said.

Xi has yet to visit the Philippines since he assumed office, but Aquino has attended the APEC summit in Beijing last year and met briefly with the Chinese leader.

The Philippines has been saying that relations with China are  multi-faceted and that other aspects must be nurtured despite the maritime issue.

Based on a 2015 survey by the Pew Research Center,  nine in 10 or 91 percent of Filipinos have expressed the most concern about territorial conflicts in the region, with the Vietnamese and Japanese trailing at 83 percent.

Coloma said the high level of knowledge and awareness with regard to the territorial and maritime dispute with China was a desirable development because a “unified citizenry is needed in terms of asserting our national position on the need to respect our maritime entitlements” in accordance with international laws like the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

“That is why for us, this is a positive development,” Coloma said.

Coloma said various departments and agencies have been working to inform the public about the West Philippine Sea dispute and the country’s position on the matter.

“The Department of Foreign Affairs is conducting regional and provincial information forums with the help of Philippine Information Agency office and they are using the three-part documentary that we produced regarding West Philippine Sea,” Coloma said.

While Filipinos are the most troubled by the territorial disputes with China in the Asia-Pacific region, a little more than half of them still express favorable views of China based on the results of the regional poll.

China enjoys a positive opinion from a majority of people in the Asia-Pacific region, with the exception of Vietnam and Japan, which had the most negative views among those surveyed.

Only 19 percent of Vietnamese voiced a favorable opinion of China.

But in the Philippines, a little more than half, or 54 percent, of Filipinos have the favorable view of China.

The Pew Research Center also noted that public views of China improved in the past year in the Philippines by 16 points.

The survey likewise showed that younger Filipinos have confidence in Xi and that 59 percent of Filipinos aged 18 to 29 were among the strongest supporters of the Chinese leader in the region.

The Pew Research survey also reflected Filipinos’ favorable opinion toward a former wartime enemy: Japan.

The Philippines is among the top three countries with a favorable view of Japan, which enjoys a positive image in the region except in China and South Korea.

The survey results showed that 81 percent of Filipinos view Japan in a positive light, just behind Vietnam (82 percent) and Malaysia (84 percent).

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also enjoys support from Filipinos, with 68 percent saying they believe Abe will do the right thing regarding world affairs.

But in China and Korea, the anti-Japan sentiment is still high. Only 12 percent of Chinese and 25 percent of South Koreans have favorable views toward Japan, owing to territorial conflicts in the region and years of historical animosity.

A 2013 Pew Research survey showed that the Chinese and South Korean believed that Japan had not apologized enough for its actions during World War II.

Overall, despite historical and territorial frictions, Asia-Pacific people tend to view their regional neighbors in a positive light, with Japan judged most favorably, the Pew Research Center said.

Japan enjoys 71 percent of favorable views, followed by China with 57 percent approval, India (51 percent), and South Korea (47 percent).

But the views on leaders are less positive.

None of the leaders garnered majority confidence in the survey: 47 percent expressed confidence that Xi would do the right thing regarding world affairs; 43 percent said the same of Abe; while 39 percent of the respondents have the same sentiment towards Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

This article was written by Aurea Calica of The Philippine Star

AlDub Nagkita na!

Nang dahil sa wildcard round ng Bulaga pa More, Dabarkads pa More, ay nagkita na nga si Yaya Dub at si Alden. Ito ay matapos ang performance ni Yaya Dub. Ngunit, bago pa man magkalapit at magkasama ang dalawa ay biglang hinarang ni Lola Nidora ang daan kung saan sila nagkita. Dahil dito, nagkita man sila ay hindi pa rin nagkasama ang dalawa na matagal nang hinihintay ng mga manonood. Talaga namang grabe ang kilig na dinala ng dalawa sa mga manonood dahil trending na nga ang #ALDUBBATTLEforacause sa Philippines at sa buong mundo na may humigit kumulang 2.9 milyong tweets at tumataas pa.

Bago tuluyang makaalis si Lola Nidora at Yaya Dub bigla namang kinidnap ng mga 'di pa nakikilalang mga lalaki si Yaya Dub at isinakay sa van paalis ng Broadway. Dahil dito, nagkita man si Yaya Dub at Alden ay siguradong aabangan pa rin ng mga manonood ang mga susunod na mangyayari sa kauna-unahang Kalyeserye sa bansa. ang #KiligpaMore.

FEATURED SONG: Takipsilim by Gloc-9 ft. Regine Velasques

Here's a song from Gloc-9 that reminds us of appreciating things before it's too late.

Customs Chief Lina says Sorry

Customs Commissioner Alberto Lina on Thursday apologized to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in connection with the bureau's earlier plan to manually inspect balikbayan boxes — a policy vehemently opposed by migrant workers.

"Ako ay nagso-sorry kung may natapakan. I give my 200 percent support to them," Lina said during the hearing of the Senate committee on ways and means on balikbayan boxes.

Lina, who noted that his sister is an OFW in Oman, said they are now drafting a new policy to make it easier for OFWs to get their balikbayan boxes while the Bureau of Customs (BoC) is addressing the issue on smuggling.

He said he is asking for a list of OFWs so that the BoC can "pre-clear" the balikbayan boxes.

"Pag may listahan kami, ipapre-clear ko na para mabilis ang pagde-deliver sa kanilang bahay," he said.

Lina reiterated that the BoC did not intend to target OFWs in its plan to inspect balikbayan boxes, supposedly to address technical smuggling, as they only wanted to check the containers for illegal items.

"Hindi naman sila ang aming puntirya," he said. "Ang tinutukoy ko ay yung mga gumagamit ng balikbayan boxes sa kanilang iligal na gawain."

The controversial BoC policy has been shelved upon orders from President Benigno Aquino III, after it drew flak from OFWs.

No proof

Also during the hearing, Customs deputy commissioner Jessie Dellosa admitted that they have no proof yet that balikbayan boxes are being used by unscrupulous individuals to smuggle illegal drugs and firearms into the country.

“So far negative sa balikbayan box,” Dellosa said when asked by Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. if they have apprehended any balikbayan box containing illegal items.

Dellosa's response prompted Marcos to ask for the BoC's basis for proposing the opening of the balikbayan boxes to check the contents.

"Where did the information that balikbayan boxes contain illegal drugs or armaments come from?" Marcos asked. "What was the basis of your statement if there was no incident reported by your office? There is no record  na nahuli na may laman na armas o droga, where did this information spring from?"

Lina said he received reports that balikbayan boxes will be used for smuggling. “There are some reports that I received that it will gonna be used for smuggling. Those reports are coming in,” he told the committee.

P3B to P6B every year

Lina said the government losing P3 billion to P6 billion every year due to smuggling through balikbayan boxes.

"Humigit-kumulang sa pag aaral namin ilang bilyong piso ang nawawala sa atin, estimated lang po 'yan, nasa P3 billion to P6 billion,” he told members of the committee.

Lina said now that they will no longer manually inspect balikbayan boxes, they will have to use X-ray  machines to check the balikbayan boxes for any illegal item.

“Ang panuntunan namin ay X-ray na lang 'yun at bago dumating dito para ma-clear na at para huwag gumastos ang freight forwarders, maaga silang magsa-submit ng invoice at packing list para mabilis ang pagi-inspect,” he said when asked by Senator Grace Poe on their plan.

He said based on their dry run, it would only take 15 to 20 minutes to put a container containing balikbayan boxes under X-ray.

“Kaya pong mag-X-ray ng 40 containers kada isang araw,” he said, adding that they receive an average of 1,200 containers a month. —KBK, GMA News 

Poe should not run for President- Leni

Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo thinks that Sen. Grace Poe should not run for president because she once renounced her being a Filipino and acquired American citizenship and lived in the United States for 14-15 years.

Asked on the late ABS-CBN News program Bandila on Tuesday night if she thought Poe should seek the highest office despite citizenship and residency issues, Robredo tried to evade the question and started to reason out.

But when prodded to just answer yes or no, she said, “No.”

She also lamented Poe’s comparison of the citizenship question hounding the senator with a similar issue once raised against the congresswoman’s husband, the late local government secretary Jesse Robredo.

She said the two cases are different.

Robredo said her husband’s citizenship was once questioned because his father was a Chinese born in the Philippines.

But unlike Poe, she said her husband never gave up his being a Filipino, she said.

“The premises in the questions on their citizenship are different,” she added.

Defeated senatorial candidate Rizalito David has asked the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) to unseat Poe on the ground that she is not a natural-born Filipino.

David argued that the senator, being a foundling, should be considered as stateless and not a natural born Filipino, since her parents’ citizenship could not be determined. Even if her parents were Filipinos, Poe lost her status as a natural-born citizen when she acquired US citizenship and swore allegiance to America, he said.

Poe claims she is a natural-born Filipino, having been born in Iloilo, even if her parents’ citizenship was not known. Rep. Lito Atienza of party-list group Buhay has urged people not to vote for a presidential aspirant who once swore allegiance to and vowed to die for another country.

Several lawyers, including former Misamis Oriental assemblyman Homobono Adaza, hold the view that a Filipino loses his or her status as a natural-born citizen if he or she acquires foreign citizenship.

Poe talks on being adopted

Amid deliberations on a petition questioning her nationality, Poe discussed her experience being an adopted daughter of the late action star Fernando Poe Jr. and movie actress Susan Roces.

“I welcome the opportunity to speak to you about adoption, not least because I myself am adopted and therefore, have intimate experience of the topic,” Poe said during the 13th Philippine Global Consultation on Child Welfare Services.

She said the government should take action to ensure that every child would be able to develop and reach full potential and have a fighting chance to live a life of dignity and happiness. 

“The process of adoption will certainly have a role in this plan of action,” she added.

Poe’s lawyers have filed a reply on the petition pending before the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET), seeking to disqualify her. 

She said she was grateful to talk about adoption to professionals from government and civil society, advocates, and prospective parents, whom she described as the “people who care about the topic as much as I do.” 

 The senator, who turns 47 today, expressed belief that poverty prompted the increase in the number of unwanted children whose parents opt to give them up rather than have them live in miserable conditions.

While she is an advocate of adoption, Poe said she is saddened that poor families are forced to part with their children.

“I cannot help but find this truly tragic because it underlies a willingness to keep the child if the parents or parent only had the means to do it,” she said.

“This is why we should find ways to afford our people with decent and gainful employment, and make basic food and services affordable. This will ease the financial burden of raising children. Ultimately, my hope is that no Filipino should give up a child out of economic hardship,” she added.

“The slightest stroke of ill fortune could have rewritten my life story into something much different and perhaps less happy. This, in a way, is the situation of most children you are trying to place for adoption,” Poe said. 

She praised the Inter-Country Adoption Board (ICAB) for providing children with good homes and fulfilling people’s wish to become parents.

Poe said each individual adoption success was a triumph of human goodwill that goes beyond statistics even as it also reflects a sad reality in the Philippines. She said the government, as part of its general responsibility to protect the welfare of children, should endeavor to attend to their needs promptly.

This includes strengthening the system of birth registration, which the senator sought to streamline through Senate Bill No. 2892. The bill provides that any child found and classified in need of special protection should receive, within 48 hours, documentation, medical attention or temporary custody. 

“This bill ensures that the adoption process is streamlined and not impeded by red tape,” she said.

Poe said her advocacy for adoption stemmed from her desire to honor her parents. Meanwhile, party-list group An Waray, which is based in the Visayas, supported yesterday the expected presidential and vice presidential candidacies of Poe and Sen. Francis Escudero.

An Waray Rep. Neil Montejo said the potential Poe-Escudero ticket “is gaining momentum, as evidenced by political figures who had expressed their intention to run for the Senate in a unity slate led by the two senators.”

“I already know of two party-list representatives who are entertaining serious senatorial bids, and are ready to join Sen. Grace and Sen. Chiz once they announce their candidacies,” he said.      

This article was written by Jess Diaz of The Philippine Star

Mar leads Binay in LP Presidential Survey

Outgoing Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas, President Aquino’s preferred successor, is leading Vice President Jejomar Binay by a wide margin in a survey commissioned by the ruling Liberal Party (LP).

“If elections were held today, Secretary Mar is clearly the winner. Fifty-three percent of the respondents preferred him as against VP Binay’s 37 percent,” Caloocan City Rep. Edgar Erice, who belongs to LP, told a news conference yesterday.

He said presidential wannabes Sen. Grace Poe and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte were not included in the survey because they are not yet declared candidates.

He refused to name the pollster but described it as a professional survey organization.

He said a confidentiality agreement with the pollster prevents him from revealing its name.

“But this is a honest-to-goodness survey because we will not fool ourselves with a bogus undertaking,” he said.

He said there were 1,200 respondents nationwide – 300 in Metro Manila, 300 in the rest of Luzon, and 300 each in the Visayas and Mindanao.

“The question asked was, ‘Who will you vote for if elections were held today?’ The choices were limited to Secretary Mar and VP Binay,” he said.

He added that 10 percent of the respondents were undecided.

Erice revealed the result of the LP-commissioned poll ahead of the quarterly surveys of Social Weather Stations (SWS) and Pulse Asia this month.

He said he could not “confirm nor deny” if their pollster is SWS or Pulse Asia.

“It was conducted after President Aquino endorsed Secretary Mar as his anointed successor. The significant improvement in our candidate’s rating is proof that the President’s endorsement matters a lot,” he said.

He said this month’s SWS and Pulse Asia surveys would prove their poll is correct and would “vindicate us.”

Aside from Poe not being a declared presidential aspirant yet, Erice said another reason for her non-inclusion in the survey “is because we are still courting her to be our vice-presidential candidate.”

Told that Poe appears to be bent on seeking the presidency, he said, “It’s not over till it’s over.” 

Article was written by Jess Diaz of The Philippine Star

FEATURED SONG: Let Her Go by Passenger

"LOVE COMES SLOW AND IT GOES SO FAST"

It is one of the most remarkable lines of Let Her Go of Passenger. To sum it up, Let her go is about our regrets. It is about the things that we didn't appreciate and miss when it's already gone. This song is so emotional that it became one of the favorite songs of the people. We can apply the message of the song in different ways. It just up to us on how we are going to internalize the message of the song.

Oxford English Dictionary Officially Recognizes 'Mx' Gender-neutral Title

"Mx" is now an official part of the English language to identify people who are neither "Mr."  or "Ms." or "Mrs.", The Guardian reported on Monday shortly after the Oxford English Dictionary recognized the term. 

The new title has been entered into the online incarnation of the OED, www.oxfordictionaries.com. "A title used before a person’s surname or full name by those who wish to avoid specifying their gender or by those who prefer not to identify themselves as male or female," the dictionary said of Mx.

Writing for The Guardian, Jacob Tobia said: "It is difficult to overstate just how important this change is. The addition of Mx to the dictionary represents the beginning of an unprecedented shift in how Western language, thought and culture understands gender." 

Tobia also said the new entry to the OED means the dictionary "has embraced a future in which gender does not have to be limited to two options: a world where people can determine their gender on their own terms."

 Tobia recalled that in his junior year in college one of his professors made him aware of Justin Vivian Bond, an artist who used "Mx" as a gender-neutral term. "Through the addition of Mx, the OED has made a historic step towards ensuring that genderqueer, gender non-conforming and gender non-binary people like me can lead lives of dignity and respect," Tobia said, reflecting on the impact of Mx.  — Earl Victor Rosero, GMA News

Int'l Group to Philippine Gov't: Protect Rizal Monument

The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) has encouraged the government to implement measures that would protect the Rizal Monument and its setting.

In Resolution 18GA 2014/31 or the "Protection of Cultural Heritage in Relation to Real Estate Development: Rizal Monument, Manila, Philippines" tackled during the 18th General Assembly of ICOMOS in November in Italy, it said "all national authorities in the Philippines "to develop and implement conservation measures for the protection of the Rizal Monument and its setting."

"The recommendation is to uphold what is stated in national laws and zoning as allowable for the Torre de Manila and what is stated in international conservation guidelines," ICOMOS Philippines president emeritus Anthony Villalon explained to GMA News Online on Monday. 

The group also said in the resolution that the high-rise condominium tower by DMCI Homes Torre de Manila "may significantly compromise key sightlines of the Rizal Monument and could have detrimental impacts on the heritage values and on the setting of this national monument." 

The resolution also pointed out different local and international guidelines on protecting monuments.  ICOMOS stated that the International Charter for the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments and Sites or Venice Charter states that "the concept of a historical monument embraces not only the single architectural work but also the urban or rural setting in which it is found, the evidence of a particular development or a historical event" and that "the conservation of a monument implies preserving a setting which is not out of scale." 

 Moreover, the Venice Charter also says, "the sites of monuments must be the object of special care in order to safeguard their integrity and ensure that they are cleared and presented in a seemly manner."  

ICOMOS also noted the "Guidelines on Monuments Honoring National Heroes, Illustrious Filipinos and other Personages" by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP).  "Keep vista points and visual corridors to monuments clear for unobstructed viewing appreciation and photographic opportunities," NHCP's own guideline said.  

ICOMOS--an advisory organization to the United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO) and an international body tasked to identify and protect heritage sites around the world--previously announced that the Rizal Monument has been named as one of the world's threatened heritage sites since its visual corridors are obstructed by the Torre de Manila. 

More than a tourist spot, ICOMOS described the Rizal Monument as an "enduring, honored, and iconic" site where the remains of the country's National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal are buried. The monument is also near the site where Rizal was executed by a firing squad on December 30, 1896. —ALG, GMA News

Ombudsman Probing PNoy, Abad over DAP

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales on Tuesday announced that her office is currently investigating President Benigno Aquino III and Budget Secretary Florencio Abad for the implementation of the Disbursement Acceleration Program. Responding to a query by Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate during the Office of the Ombudsman’s budget briefing, Morales said there has been a most proper investigation being conducted on the supposed liability of Aquino and Abad for the creation and implementation of the DAP. She said the probe is being conducted simultaneously with the investigation on pending DAP-related complaints involving top officials of the executive branch. Morales said that an investigation report on the cases have been submitted and these are currently under evaluation by her office. 

“The status of [the cases] are pending fact-finding investigation. In fact, the investigation report [written by] the Field Investigation Office is under evaluation by the Ombudsman,” Carpio Morales said. 

She also said they will decide this month whether further investigation will be conducted on the plunder complaints against Abad.

“It should be resolved anytime this month. That is with respect to the investigation report [written] by the fact-finding investigators,” she said. 

However, the Ombudsman said she cannot release the investigation report on the complaint involving Aquino and Abad though it will be used to determine if there is basis to start a preliminary investigation. 

“We don’t release the investigation report. We either approve or disapprove it. If we approve it and we recommend the conduct of a preliminary investigation, then so be it. Now, if we don’t agree with the recommendation to initiate a preliminary investigation, this means the case is deemed closed and terminated,” she said. 

Carpio Morales said her office needs “ample time” to review the jurisprudence and law involved in the complaint concerning the DAP controversy because she wants to ensure whatever action she will take is in accordance with the law, as well as the facts and evidence of the case.

Immune from suit

Meanwhile, Malacañang said that while the Ombudsman can look into the matter, President Aquino cannot be sued while in office.

“We wish to point out the Constitutional principle that an incumbent President of the Philippines is immune from suit,” Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said in a statement.  Still, Coloma said the Office of the Ombudsman “is empowered by law to conduct” its probe on Aquino and Budget Secretary Florencio Abad over the DAP. On the other hand, Abad deferred comment on the Ombudsman's investigation. "It is prudent to read the transcript of the hearing before making any statement," he said.

SC ruling on DAP

 The Supreme Court in 2014 voted unanimously to strike down as unconstitutional specific acts under the DAP, which has been described by Malacañang as an economic stimulus initiative. The DAP became controversial after Sen. Jinggoy Estrada revealed that several senators received P50 million to P100 million after the conviction of Chief Justice Renato Corona by the Senate impeachment court. Estrada's revelation came after he was implicated in the multi-billion pork barrel fund scam. The senator is currently detained on graft and plunder charges. Last month, a group led by Atty. Greco Belgica asked the SC to order Morales to investigate Abad and Aquino over their roles in the implementation of both the pork barrel system and the DAP.   

DAP authors, implementors 'liable' In their concurring opinions to the Supreme court's February 3 ruling, declaring as unconstitutional three acts and practices under the DAP, Associate Justices Antonio Carpio and Arturo Brion said that Aquino and Abad should be held liable for approving and implementing the controversial program. 

“Since the President and the DBM Secretary approved and issued NBC 541, they are considered the authors of the unconstitutional act,” said Carpio in his dissenting opinion. “As a consequence, neither the President nor the DBM Secretary can invoke the equitable doctrine of operative fact although they may raise other defenses,” he added. 

Carpio further said that as authors of the unconstitutional act, “they have to answer for such act.”  Brion, meanwhile, said that authors, proponents, and implementors of the DAP cannot “seek cover behind” the operative fact doctrine at all. He clarified that only those who “relied in good faith” on the DAP can be protected by the doctrine. 

“Authors, proponents, and implementors... did not rely on the unconstitutional act... They were, in fact, the parties responsible for establishing and implementing the DAP's unconstitutional terms,” Brion said. Morales attended Tuesday's budget hearing to defend the Office of the Ombudsman's proposed P1.775 billion budget for 2016. Morales reported to the members of the House of Representatives' Committee on Appropriations that her office's workload as of last June was 8,116 criminal and administrative cases and they were able to solve 2,940 cases. —ALG/RSJ/KBK, GMA News

Palace on INC Issue: Rule of Law Prevailed

The rule of law has prevailed with the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC)’s decision to end its protest activities, Malacañang said yesterday.

“Through goodwill and the convergence of efforts, the rule of law has been upheld,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said.

“We appreciate the INC leadership’s directives for the withdrawal of their members from their gathering sites,” he said.

“We are thankful that no serious injuries came about these past few days, and that the public can now prepare to go to work and to school tomorrow as the long weekend draws to a close,” he added.

President Aquino called an emergency meeting Sunday night at Bahay Pangarap, his official residence, across Malacañang Palace, with members of the Cabinet, as well as the police and armed forces chiefs, in attendance.

Reports likewise indicated the meeting was an offshoot of the decision of the INC leadership under executive minister Eduardo Manalo to request Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. to relay the religious sect’s sentiments to the government.

In a statement, Lacierda said all of them were careful not to inflame emotions.

“We were resolved not to inflame passions, which could have given an opening to those with selfish agendas to further exacerbate conflict,” he said. “Diplomacy therefore was an important tool in avoiding unintended consequences,” he pointed out.

“Their protests, like all others, involve a disagreement. The question therefore is whether calmer heads will prevail so that such disagreements are resolved peacefully through mutual respect,” the Palace spokesman stressed.

“Just as it was important to protect the rights of all, ensure public safety and minimize opportunities for sowing mayhem, we knew that a truly long-term solution involved engendering an atmosphere of dialogue, which will result in de-escalating the situation that created tensions in the first place,” Lacierda said.

Tips Para 'Di Ka Ma-Late

Estudyante ka man o empleyado, may pagkakataon na lang male-late ka. Kasalanan mo man o kasalanan ng traffic, male-late at male-late ka talaga. Common na sigurong palusot ng mga nalelate ang traffic pero sa totoo lang late lang talaga sila nagising o mabagal lang talaga sila kumilos. Kung ayaw mo nang ma-late dahil isang late na lang e tanggal ka na sa trabaho o may sanction ka na mula sa eskwelahan mo, sundin mo na lang ang mga tips na ito.

1. Alarm

Siguro napaka-cliche na ng payo na ito kaya lalagyan natin ng kaunting twist. Kung kagaya kita na hindi magising sa isang tunog ng alarm, i-set mo ang alarm mo na parang ganito: 4:59, 5:00, 5:01, 5:02. Bahala ka na kung ilang ganyan ang iseset mo basta ang mahalaga ay tuloy-tuloy ang magiging tunog nito kaya kung hindi man ikaw ang magising, magigisibg naman ang iba at sila na ang gigising sa'yo. Galing 'di ba.

2. Kilos!

Huwag kang babagal-bagal. Kung kailangab mong kumain, maligo, at magbihis bago pumasok, matuto kang magset kung gaano lang katagal tatagal ang mga ito. Maganda ito para alam mo na kung anong oras ka makakaalis.

3. Time Your Trip 

Matagal ka naman na sigurong pumapasok sa opisina o paaralan ko diba? Kung gayon, dapat alam mo na kung gaano katagal anh byahe mula sa bahay niyo patungo sa destinasyon mo. Mula dito, matatantsa mo kung anong oras ka dapat umalis ng bahay mo.

4. Adjust

Mag-adjust ka tol! Kung alam mong late ka na makakaalis ng bahay dahil napatagal ka ng ligo, mag-adjust ka na. Pwedeng bilisan o wag ka na nang kumain ng almusal o 'di naman kaya'y bawasan na ang pagtatagal sa pagbibihis. Ganun din kapag sa jeep o sa kung anong sinasakyan mo. Kung alam mong 'di na umuusad ang traffic, at alam monh kaya nang lakarin ang layo, bumaba ka na at maglakad. Huwag bang tamad. Ikaw din naman ang male-late e.

5. Prepare Ahead

Kung gusto mong mabawasan ang oras ng paghahanda mo bago pumasok, pwede ka namang maghanda kinagabihan pa lang. Pwedeng gabi pa lang e mamalantsa ka na o 'di naman kaya e ihanda mo na ang medyas at mga susuotin mo. Kung ganito ang gagawin mo, makakatupid ka na ng oras kinabukasan dahil hindi ka na magsasayang ng oras sa paghahanap ng nga susuotin mo.

Kung 'di gumana ang mga nasa taas at na-late ka pa rin, maghanda ka na ng excuse letter araw-araw para kung ma-late ka man, handa ka na.

Catholic Church Leaders: 'Oppose Same-Sex Marriage'

Leaders of the Philippines' dominant Catholic church have called on individuals and politicians to actively oppose same-sex marriage, after new efforts by activists to have same-sex unions legalised in the conservative nation.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) issued a statement Sunday saying individuals should refuse to take part in ceremonies celebrating same-sex relationships and politicians should resist legalising marriages of homosexual couples.

"A homosexual union is not and can never be a marriage as properly understood and so-called," the CBCP said in the statement posted on its website.

"There are absolutely no grounds for considering homosexual unions to be similar or even remotely analogous to God's plan for marriage and the family."

It added that Catholic lawmakers have "a moral duty" to express their "opposition clearly and publicly" and to vote against a law.

CBCP president Bishop Socrates Villegas confirmed to AFP on Monday that the statement was the position of the church, which is followed by more than 80 percent of Filipinos.

The statement comes as activists push to have same-sex unions legalised, which would require a law to be passed in the deeply conservative country where divorce and abortion are still illegal largely due to Catholic pressure.

Earlier in August, two same-sex couples applied for marriage licences in a Manila suburb but were turned down. They later brandished a sign saying "We were denied" in front of a rainbow flag.

Small independent churches aimed at the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community have also sprung up, sometimes conducting unofficial "weddings" for their members, while several Filipino celebrities have come out in favour of same-sex marriage.

The LGBT community has meanwhile been increasingly vocal about the issue on social media.

While expressing compassion for homosexuals, the CBCP said, "sexual attraction towards the same sex is... in the light of our understanding of marriage, objectively disordered."

Gay rights have been in the spotlight around the world following the US Supreme Court's landmark ruling to legalise gay marriage in June.

Hundreds of people took to the streets in Taiwan in July calling for the legalisation of gay marriage, while pressure is mounting on the Australian government for a parliamentary vote on the subject.