MANILA: The Marcos administration is ready to present the ‘vibrant’ status of the Philippine press freedom to United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression Irene Khan, the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) said Tuesday.

During the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon Program aired over state-run PTV-4, PTFoMS executive director Undersecretary Paul Gutierrez said the Philippine government, as a ‘good host, would try to make Khan’s visit not only productive but comfortable for all.”

‘Ito pong pagbisita ni Ms. Irene Khan ay gagawin po nating pagkakataon upang mai-highlight po ang katotohanan na ang Pilipinas po ay matibay sa pagtataguyod po ng mga karapatang pantao, lalo na po sa ating pamamahayag (This visit of Ms. Irene Khan, we will make it an opportunity to highlight the fact that the Philippines is strong in promoting human rights, especially [the rights of the] media),’ Gutierrez said.

‘Ang implikasyon po nito sa atin ay maibandera po natin o maibandila sa buong mundo n
a taliwas po sa sinasabi ng mga kritiko, sadya pong masigla at mayabong ang estado po ng pamamahayag sa ating bansa (The implication of this for us is that we can raise our flag to the whole world to prove that contrary to what the critics are saying, the state of the media in our country is indeed vibrant and fertile),’ he added.

Gutierrez said that as early as October last year, the PTFoMs started coordinating with government offices that Khan intends to meet with, including the Department of Justice, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the Supreme Court and the Congress.

He added Khan’s plan to meet with former Senator Leila de Lima, who secured a temporary freedom in November 2023 after nearly seven years in detention due to her alleged drug involvement, should not be a cause for concern.

‘Tingin po natin ay hindi magiging issue ito and besides, gusto ko pong i-stress na wala pong itinatago ang ating administrasyon pagdating po sa pagtataguyod ng karapatang pantao at pamamahayag sa ati
ng bansa. So, sa tingin po natin ay wala po tayong dapat ikatakot o ikapangamba sa pagbisitang ito (Let’s hope that this will not be an issue and besides, I want to stress that our administration has nothing to hide when it comes to promoting human rights and press freedom in our country. So, we think that we have nothing to fear or worry about this visit),’ he added.

Gutierrez also underscored the Marcos administration’s sincerity to uphold press freedom in the country.

He said the government is ready to discuss with Khan its accomplishments when it comes to ensuring that all Filipinos enjoy their right to free speech and freedom of expression.

‘Bagaman may nakikita po tayong maaring maging kritisismo, ang gusto ko lamang pong bigyan ng emphasis dito ay ang katotohanang meron po tayo functioning judicial system (Although we see something that can be criticized, the only thing I want to emphasize here is the fact that we have a functioning judicial system),’ Gutierrez said.

‘Meron po tayong mga umiiral na
proseso na bagaman may maaari pong kahinaan ay patuloy naman po nating tinutukan at ina-address ang mga kahinaang ito hanggang ika nga po ay maayos po natin ang sistema at proseso (We have existing processes that although there may be weaknesses, we continue to focus and address these weaknesses until we fix the system and the process),” he added.

Khan is set to make an official visit to the Philippines from Jan. 23 to Feb. 2.

Based on the Office of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Khan will examine, in the spirit of cooperation and dialogue, the situation of the rights to freedom of opinion and expression in the country.

Khan invited civil society, human rights organizations, media organizations, experts and academics, other stakeholders and individuals to share any information in the national normative framework, freedom of the media, internet freedom and freedom of expression.

Source: Philippines News Agency

BUENAVISTA: The provincial board of Antique is deliberating on a proposed ordinance that aims to assist distressed or displaced Antique overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

The proposed ordinance entitled ‘Financial Assistance/Livelihood Assistance for Distressed and Displaced OFWs in the Province of Antique,’ sponsored by Board Member Karmila Rose Dimamay who chairs the foreign relations, labor, and employment committee, got the nod of the provincial board on first reading on Monday’s regular session.

‘There is no outright assistance being provided to the OFWs by the provincial government yet that I had sponsored the ordinance to help our distressed and displaced OFWs who have come home,’ she said in an interview on Tuesday.

The proposed legislation mandates the provincial government to appropriate not less than PHP2 million annually under the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office for the said purpose.

An OFW recipient can have PHP20,000 they can use to either buy their needed medicines after suf
fering from mental health or for livelihood, such as sari-sari stores.

Available data provided by the Overseas Workers Welfare and Administration (OWWA) Regional Office 6 to Dimamay showed 77 Antique OFWs came home to Antique from Jan. to Aug. 2023 after being abused by their employers or displaced from work.

‘One of the distressed OFWs is right now in Anini-y who is suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder because of an attempted rape on her,’ Dimamay said.

OFWs who could avail of the assistance based on the proposed ordinance are residents of Antique with proof of displacement, such as a termination letter or document to prove their repatriation or return to the Philippines.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The Sandiganbayan has denied the plea of a former Quezon town mayor for the transfer of his detention to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) detention facility in Camp Karingal, Quezon City for medical treatment.

Former San Francisco, Quezon mayor Joselito Alega was convicted of unlawful appointment last year and sentenced to a month in prison by the Sandiganbayan.

He started serving his sentence on Jan. 4 and is detained at the CIDG-Regional Field Unit in Camp Crame, Quezon City.

He asked for a transfer as Camp Karingal is nearer the National Kidney and Transplant Institute and other public hospitals in East Avenue.

Camp Karingal to East Avenue may take about 15 minutes faster than coming from Camp Crame.

Alega said his physicians advised that he ‘needs to be supervised 24 hours’ due to issues arising from a mild stroke and other illnesses.

The court resolution Tuesday, however, stated that it ‘finds no basis to grant’ the request for a transfer and noted that under the rules,
the sentence classified Alega as a municipal prisoner who may serve his sentence in a district or a municipal jail.

The court also said that ‘aside from his bare allegations of his medical condition, there is nothing that would show that he needs constant or urgent medical attention’ and ‘did not show that there is no hospital capable of addressing his medical needs near the Quezon District Jail.’

‘At any rate, if the accused, while serving his sentence, needs to undergo medical examination or treatment for a specific concern, the court may allow the same upon the filing of the necessary motion,’ it added.

The Sandiganbayan affirmed Alega’s conviction for violation of Article 244 of the Revised Penal Code on unlawful appointment after he was found guilty of appointing Rosauro Fernandez as municipal administrator despite lack of qualifications.

He was sentenced to a prison term of one month and one day and ordered to pay a fine of PHP1,000.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: A lawmaker on Tuesday backed the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ strategic initiative to fortify the habitability of islands in the West Philippine Sea, which is crucial to uphold the nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said the development plans, particularly focusing on islands such as Pag-asa and the Ayungin Shoal, highlight the government’s firm commitment to assert the country’s rightful claims in the West Philippine Sea.

“As we navigate heightened tensions and territorial disputes with China, it becomes imperative that we bolster our presence in the region to safeguard our cherished sovereignty,” Adiong said.

He particularly commended the decision to provide a desalination machine for the troops stationed on the deliberately grounded warship at Ayungin Shoal, “symbolizing our steadfast assertion of sovereignty”.

He also noted that the broader military modernization plans, including the acquisition of ships, radars, and aircraft, align seamles
sly with the government’s shift in focus from internal defense to territorial security.

“In confronting complex geopolitical challenges, it is essential to strengthen our military capabilities, a necessity emphasized by the AFP’s top mandate of protecting and defending our nation,” he said.

“I stand unwaveringly behind the Armed Forces of the Philippines in their relentless pursuit of securing our national interests, reinforcing our support to the troops, upholding our sovereignty, and fostering peace and stability in the West Philippine Sea,” he added.

According to Octa Research’s Tugon ng Masa national survey results released on Tuesday, around 60 percent of adult Filipinos support the Marcos administration’s approach in handling the territorial dispute with China in the West Philippine Sea.

The approval percentage saw a 2-point increase from the 58 percent recorded in the October 2023 survey.

The pollster said the highest agreement was seen in Metro Manila at 67 percent, while the lowest recorded rati
ng was in Mindanao at 52 percent. Mindanao.

In terms of socioeconomic classes, agreement ratings were highest among Filipinos belonging to Class D at 64 percent and lowest among Class E at 51 percent.

The survey was conducted from Dec. 10 to Dec. 14, 2023, using face-to-face interviews with 1,200 adult respondents.

It had a ±3 margin of error for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao.

Source: Philippines News Agency

ILOILO CITY: The world-renowned Quanzhou string puppetry is coming to Iloilo City on Feb. 10-11 as part of the 20th and so far, the grandest Chinese New Year celebration in this part of the country.

Allan Ryan Tan, president of the Iloilo Festivals Foundation Inc. that oversees the celebration, said the puppet show will be shown instead to public schools.

‘This year, we will have a free puppet show for public schools and barangays for them to immerse in Chinese culture. These are not small puppets but are life-size puppets. It’s very exciting because it is the first time for Iloilo to host, and this is for free, sponsored by our counterpart in China through our sister city,’ he said in an interview following the Chinese New Year grand launch Monday afternoon.

Peter Chan, chairperson of the Chinese New Year 2024 task force, said the troupe has visited over 50 countries, including the Philippines. It also performed during the opening of the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics.

They will perform five stories in eig
ht shows at the West Visayas State University cultural center.

The chinaculture.org said the Quanzhou puppet show is ‘one of the oldest and rarest among puppet shows in China’ with a history of over 2,000 years.

The Chinese New Year celebration in Iloilo City will have the grand parade, grand show and fireworks display in the afternoon towards the evening of Feb. 9 as highlights.

Source: Philippines News Agency

TRINIDAD: The five-year project of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) aimed to use technological innovations to improve the value chain of vegetables produced in the Cordillera is on track.

‘You have seen in the presentation that after production of the vegetables, they (farmer) soon get the institutional buyers, so, definitely they are happy,’ said Shingo Furuichi, chief advisor of the food value chain platform for the Market-Driven Enhancement of Vegetable Value Chain in the Philippines (MV2C) dubbed ‘Ka-Gulay’.

The statement was made on the sidelines of the first stakeholders forum for the food value chain platform held here Tuesday.

He expressed confidence that they are on the right track as far as achieving the goals of the program, which include addressing price fluctuation, low vegetable quality, and high cost of transportation and wastage.

Launched in April 2023, the program is being pilot-tested in Benguet and Quezon provinces.

It aims to a
ddress challenges by utilizing technologies that will support seasonal production of some commodities, making vegetables’ shelf life longer, adjusting the selling time of commodities to a time when prices are better, adopting the use of plastic crates to prevent deterioration of the quality of the produce, value-adding by processing and merchandizing, developing institutional wholesale market in Metro Manila, and increasing vegetable consumption among Filipinos for increase farmers’ sales.

Citing food and agriculture agencies’ data, Furuichi said Filipinos’ annual recommended vegetable intake should be 88 kilograms per person, higher than the 63 kilograms to date.

After the pilot testing, the agriculture department will hopefully pursue an interaction with farmers to further increase the number of beneficiaries on the ground, he added.

Source: Philippines News Agency