News - June 18, 2018
News - June 18, 2018
News - June 18, 2018
For: CRML
Prepared by: Mildred Ramos
Date: June 18, 2018
PNP chief Dir. Gen. Oscar D. Albayalde assured the public that the prime suspect
arrested for the murder of Fr. Richmond Nilo is not a fall guy because the boy who
identified him was an alter server and has been under the custody of the priests. He
said the boy had identified the suspect thrice in a rogue gallery and even cried when
he saw the photo of the gunman. Fr. Nilo was the third priest and the second in
Nueva Ecija to be killed in the past six months.
Vice President Leni Robredo has opposed the idea of arming village chiefs across
the country as a way to protect themselves amid the war on drugs and criminality
because, as she claimed, peacekeeping is not their mandate. It was President
Rodrigo Duterte who floated the idea of issuing firearms to village officials to further
maintain peace and order within their communities.
China appears keen to revive the ancient “Southern Silk Road” with South Asia for
promoting trade and people-to-people exchanges with India and other South Asian
countries. China wanted Dali, the only prefecture of Bai ethnic community in China,
to again become the “bridge head” with India and South Asia. Plans were under
discussion to give a concrete shape to the proposal.
Historians say the ancient silk route, originating from China’s Chengdu city, ran
through Myanmar and then extended to India, Bangladesh and even West Asia.
Senator Kiko Pangilinan reminded that loitering is no longer a criminal offense. The
opposition senator was referring to the Act Decriminalizing Vagrancy passed by the
15th Congress, which replaced the original stance on loitering.
However, Malacañang said that if no crime has been committed, there is no basis for
arrest. PNP also clarified that the rights of the people would still be paramount for
officers doing patrol at night.
On Sunday, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian filed Senate Resolution No. 759 calling for an
inquiry on the financial requirements of the infrastructure program, seeking a review
of the Duterte administration’s P8.4-trillion “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program
to determine the country’s debt obligations with foreign lenders, including China. The
program is heavily reliant on Chinese loans.
DFA working with Lebanon, Saudi Arabia to probe deaths of two Filipinas
DFA has been coordinating with the governments of Saudi Arabia and Lebanon
after two Filipina household workers in those countries were found dead allegedly
due to suicide. the Philippine embassies in Beirut and Riyadh are working with the
investigators to ensure that there was no foul play in their deaths. The workers hailed
from Cagayan and Agusan del Sur.
DFA consoled the families of the suicide victims, ensuring that the department will
assist them in the repatriation of their relatives’ remains.
Cops should check houses for elder abuse, lawmaker says
City police chief Supt. Reynan Patam said in a phone interview that the victim,
Ronnel Rosaldo, was found dead with a placard naming him an illegal drug pusher in
Trece Martires City in Cavite province early on Monday. a cardboard with the
message “wag tularan, pusher ako” covered the victim’s half-naked body. Rosaldo
wasn’t included in the police’s drug watchlist.
The Bureau of Customs was able to intercept the shipment, valued at P250 million,
from Vietnam on Thursday. According to Bantay Bigas, the smugglers may have
taken advantage of the entry of the rice imported by state-run grains agency National
Food Authority (NFA) from Vietnam and Thailand.
The organization said the government should prioritize the development of the
country’s own industry as a means to stop smuggling.
PAGASA says that the southwest monsoon or habagat continues to affect the
western side of Luzon. Additionally, two low pressure areas had been spotted by
Pagasa. One LPA is located east near Mindanao, while the other was last seen 675
kilometers west of Basco, Batanes.
The rest of Luzon will experience isolated rain showers but will generally have better
weather. The sun shone over Metro Manila starting 7 a.m.
Dollar outflow seen accelerating
Officials of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said the country’s current account would
likely end the year at a deficit of $3.1 billion, equivalent to 0.9 percent of gross
domestic product. This represents a 342-percent increase over the original deficit
projection of $700 million that its economists announced in late 2017, as growth in
goods imports largely outpaces exports growth.
This year, imports are now expected to grow by 11 percent, from the December
2017 projection of 10 percent. Because of this, the BSP expects the country’s overall
balance of payments to hit a deficit of $1.5 billion by the end of 2018.
The higher projected dollar outflows means the peso will likely weaken further
against the US dollar. Already, the peso closed the trading session last Thursday at
P53.27 to a dollar—its lowest level in 12 years.