1 News Update As of June 15, 2016
(Wednesday) Philippine Daily Inquirer
Abus: Killing was for Rody
MAYOR CHALLENGED TO STOP BEHEADINGS
ZAMBOANGA CITY—The Abu Sayyaf beheaded Canadian hostage Robert Hall to embarrass incoming President Rodrigo Duterte, according to the spokesperson of the notorious bandit group.
“Para kay Duterte, ang bagong Presidente, ito ay alamin mo kung ano gagawin namin sa Canadian (This is for Duterte, the new President. This is for you to know what we will do to the Canadian),” Abu Raami, the spokesperson, said on Monday.
An hour after the phone interview with the Inquirer, Raami announced that the Abu Sayyaf executed Hall because the P600 million it demanded as ransom for his release had not been delivered before the 3 p.m. deadline.
Another Canadian, John Ridsdel, was beheaded by the kidnappers on April 25 in Sulu province, where he, along with Hall and his partner, Filipino Maritess Flor, and Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad were brought by armed men who raided an exclusive marina in the Island Garden City of Samal in Davao del Norte province on Sept. 21 last year.
Sekkingstad, Flor and Dutch Ewold Horn are among seven hostages still being held by the Abu Sayyaf bandits.
In Manila, President Aquino informed Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about the latest killing in a late-night call on Monday, soon after the government verified Hall’s death.
Mr. Aquino discussed how government forces were dealing with the Abu Sayyaf bandits who have pledged allegiance to Islamic State, according to well-placed sources.
“We strongly condemn the brutal and senseless murder of Mr. Robert Hall, a Canadian national, after being held captive by the Abu Sayyaf group in Sulu for the past nine months,” Mr. Aquino said in a statement.
Trudeau maintained that despite the deaths of two Canadian hostages, his government would not give in to demands of paying ransom to terrorist groups, like the Abu Sayyaf.
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“I want to reiterate that terrorist hostage-takings only fuel more violence and instability.
Canada will not give into their fear-mongering tactics and despicable attitude toward the suffering of others,” he said in a statement.
Head recovered
Maj. Filemon Tan Jr., spokesperson of the military’s Western Mindanao Command, confirmed on Tuesday that a severed head found dumped beside Jolo Cathedral in Sulu was Hall’s after comparing it to videos and photos of the hostage.
The head was placed inside a black trash bag left by two young men on board a motorcycle along Sanchez Street, 1.7 kilometers away from Camp Teodulfo Bautista, home of the 2nd Marine Brigade, in the vicinity of Plaza Rizal around 9:05 p.m. on Monday, according to Supt.
Junpikar Sittin, Jolo police chief.
Raami said the beheading was intended for Duterte, the tough-talking mayor of Davao City who is to formally assume the presidency in two weeks after winning in the May 9 elections.
“You promised *Trudeau+ that you will get them (hostages) alive and that what happened to Ridsdel will not be repeated,” he said in Filipino. “Let’s see if you will not be embarrassed.”
Duterte said in a press conference in May in Davao City that he had apologized to Trudeau for Ridsdel’s death. “We will try our very best to see to it that nothing of this nature will happen again,” he recalled telling the Canadian leader.
Media silence
The incoming President has not spoken to journalists for almost two weeks since his aides imposed a media policy that his statements would only be coursed through government information networks.
“I think the concern about the Abu Sayyaf should be addressed to the present administration because he is not yet the President,” Duterte’s spokesperson, Salvador Panelo, told reporters at the Marco Polo Hotel in Davao City.
“What I know is President-elect Duterte will not tolerate or condone the illegality in this
country. He will do everything in this power to stop all these … . That’s his commitment, to stop all these cases of criminality,” Panelo added.
The incoming national security adviser, Hermogenes Esperon, said in Manila that the Duterte administration would “take a stronger action against lawlessness in the South.”
“We cannot allow this situation to continue, this should end once and for all,” Esperon told Reuters.
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Malacañang extended its sympathy and condolences to Hall’s family.
“We truly regret that our people’s cherished tradition of extending gracious hospitality toward foreign nationals has been marred by a small band of criminals whose despicable actions have been abetted by the extortion of ransom from their previous victims,” Presidential
Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said in a text message.
Coloma thanked the Canadian government and people “for their steadfast support and
understanding which has been extremely helpful in our determined efforts to end this decades- old problem.”
For the past two months, he said the military and police had been conducting operations that
“degraded the capability of our enemies and limited their movements.”
On Monday afternoon, the President met with his Cabinet security cluster to receive updates from Jolo, canceling his attendance at the launch of a call center facility in Pasay City.
The recovered head was flown to Manila on Tuesday and turned over to the Philippine National Police’s crime laboratory for forensic examination.
Tan said efforts were ongoing to recover the body of the victim. With reports from Nikko Dizon, Christine O. Avendaño, Jaymee T. Gamil, Julie M. Aurelio and Estrella Torres in Manila; Yuji Vincent Gonzales, Inquirer.net; the wires
Incoming Speaker bares legislative agenda
THE 17TH Congress will spend its maiden year pushing three ambitious items on the incoming Duterte administration’s agenda: the switch to a federal government, restoration of the death penalty and lowering of the age of criminal liability, according to the next Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez.
At the Meet Inquirer Multimedia forum on Tuesday, the returning Davao del Norte
representative spoke of the priority measures that would occupy the legislature in the next three years.
The first item—shift to federalism—will necessitate not only constitutional amendments but a
“revision” of the 1987 Constitution, with President-elect Rodrigo Duterte expressing a preference for a constitutional convention that will amend it, said Alvarez, a close friend handpicked by Duterte to lead the House.
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“A constitutional convention (Con-con) would be very expensive and very long. A constituent assembly (Con-ass) would be easier and less expensive. But I guess the President wants a constitutional convention so people don’t say it’s self-serving,” he said.
A Con-con would require an election of the convention delegates, while a Con-ass would only involve the bicameral Congress convening itself and proposing amendments to the Charter.
The third method—a people’s initiative—will only apply to amendments to individual provisions, Alvarez said.
“But still, we need to look at the consensus in Congress, on what mode they will prefer,” he said.
The plan is to hold the election of delegates simultaneously with the barangay elections in October.
“Maybe we can slightly delay the barangay election so we can include the election of the delegates to save money for the government,” Alvarez said.
For almost two hours, he fielded questions on his legislative agenda, his leadership style, his friendship with Duterte, his hopes for Congress.
Speaking in a relaxed mix of English and Filipino, Alvarez showed a penchant for pithy one- liners and was prepared with anecdotes.
“Those of us in the majority, we believe in the programs of the present administration.
Whatever those programs are, we will support them. Let’s give the President the chance to succeed. He wants to change the nation. That’s not easy to do. He needs the support of Congress, of the people,” he said.
A federal system, he said, would open a lot of economic opportunities for local governments.
“We have been through *a unitary form of government+ since we started, until now, we’re still in dire straits. Maybe it’s now time to consider another form of government,” he said.
All up for revision
“Under a federal setup, there will be a lot of opportunities in provinces and regions. They will be empowered to control their own economy and natural resources. They will have the chance to chart their own destinies,” he added.
Alvarez also talked about the possibility of extending Duterte’s term of office through constitutional amendments, noting that a Con-con would “open up” all provisions of the Constitution to revision.
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“When we call for a Con-con, we open everything for revision, including all articles of the present Constitution,” he said. “You can’t avoid discussion about that (term limits). It would all depend on the results of the convention.”
The Philippine president has a nonextensible six-year term.
Alvarez said that in the first two years of the Duterte administration, he planned to reinstate capital punishment for heinous crimes. During the campaign, Duterte had promised to reinstate the death penalty.
As mayor for over two decades in Davao City, Duterte is known for his iron-fist stance on crime, and is known to have links to “death squads” notorious for killing criminals in the city.
Addressing arguments that the death penalty was not known to be a deterrent to crime,
Alvarez argued that: “There’s been no death penalty for many years but crime is still increasing.”
The death penalty was abolished under the 1987 Constitution with the caveat that it may be reimposed, with Congress approval, for heinous crimes. It was reimposed during the
administration of Fidel V. Ramos and Joseph Estrada, and stopped during the term of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Criminal responsibility
Alvarez said the third legislative priority was to lower the age of criminal responsibility under the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006, or Republic Act No. 9344, which exempts children 15 years and below from criminal liability but subjects them to an intervention program.
On the other hand, children older than 15 but younger than 18 shall also be exempt from criminal liability and be subjected to an intervention program unless they “acted with discernment.”
That law was actually amended in 2013 through RA 10630 or the Act Strengthening the Juvenile Justice System in the Philippines. But it retained the age of criminal liability.
“This has posed a lot of problems,” Alvarez said.
“We received a lot of complaints from law enforcement authorities about minors who couldn’t be charged. It was originally 9, then they raised it to 15. I’m not questioning the intent of the law. The problem is implementation. Fifteen-year-olds are being used for committing crimes,”
he said.
Other proposed bills
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Alvarez said the passage of the freedom of information bill should be an easy task. “That’s practically done. We only need to refile. I think that will be approved quickly,” he said.
On proposals to raise the value-added tax from 10 to 15 percent, he said: “If it needs an
amendment from the present law, we will talk about that. I think that will be a priority because that’s revenue of the country. That’s important.”
“Congress will always be on the side of people… There will be public hearings; we will listen to them,” he said.
On the P2,000 increase for Social Security System pensioners, Alvarez said he personally favored it: “I am for that. Let us see how the new Congress receives it, and what the majority will agree on.”
On the lifting of the bank secrecy law, he said there was a need to study it. “That issue is not easy. We need to hear the side of everyone involved, bankers, depositors, everybody.”
Only Avanzas for Duterte Cabinet
WHEN he announced his administration would practice austerity, President-elect Rodrigo Duterte told his official family not only to get rid of their luxury cars but also specified the vehicle they should use: Toyota Avanza, a mini multipurpose vehicle.
“Duterte wants an Avanza because that’s the cheapest,” said Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez, who was guest at the Meet Inquirer Multimedia forum on Tuesday.
“When someone asked me what I will do, I said I will invoke separation of powers,” the designated House Speaker from Davao del Norte and longtime friend of Duterte said, drawing laughter from editors and reporters.
“I said I will use a pickup,” Alvarez said, adding he is used to cruising around in a light truck, driving it himself sometimes.
In meeting his chosen Cabinet members a day after his proclamation as winner of the May 9 elections and the country’s 16th President, Duterte laid down his rules for a frugal
administration, directing his appointees to forego business class plane tickets, forget about using public funds for junkets, or abstain from using expensive cars.
Alvarez said Duterte meant to show it on the very day he assumes the presidency on June 30.
Inaugural
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The 71-year-old mayor of Davao City for two decades will be sworn in as President in Malacañang, deviating from the tradition for Presidents to be inaugurated at Quirino Grandstand in Manila’s Rizal Park.
“I suggested that it be held at the Palace grounds,” Alvarez said.
Save for the late President Corazon Aquino who took her oath of office at Club Filipino following the 1986 Edsa People Power Revolution, Presidents Fidel Ramos, Joseph Estrada, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Benigno Aquino III took their oaths at Quirino Grandstand in ceremonies gathering thousands of spectators.
Duterte had earlier said he would attend his inauguration and exchange his usual casual attire for a more formal barong.
He said he would “just follow protocol” in crafting a “well-prepared speech,” acknowledging that it would be the “policy of this nation.”
Duterte snubbed Congress, which convened as a national board of canvassers on May 30 to declare him winner of the May 9 balloting. He said he had missed such formalities since becoming a politician.
Simplicity, diligence
When he became the House Speaker, Alvarez is keen to toe a similar line of conscientious governance, vowing to practice a leadership style that would reflect simplicity and diligence as Duterte had outlined.
It goes hand in hand with Alvarez’s agenda to give antipoverty efforts top priority.
“Whatever is necessary in addressing poverty,” Alvarez replied, when asked during the forum what people should expect from him.
“I want to be an instrument to uplift the condition of our fellowmen,” said the returning lawmaker, who first served in Congress from 1998 to 2001.
One of the traditions that must go is the annual “fashion show” when members of Congress, their spouses and other guests turn up at the red carpet in glamorous garb for the State of the Nation Address (Sona), as if attending a Hollywood awards night.
“Even the civil code frowns upon the display of wealth amid poverty. So we don’t need to be as extravagant. Business attire would be enough, like what you wear when going to the office,”
Alvarez said. “You don’t have to come as if you’re going to a party.”
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Wearing formal attire is always a challenge for him, said Alvarez, who wore a collared shirt, black pants and suede boots.
“You know, my greatest problem is wearing barong and Americana. When I was in Congress before, I wore jeans and then a barong,” he said.
The Philippine Star
1st Rody Cabinet meet on June 30
By Edith Regalado (The Philippine Star) | Updated June 15, 2016 - 12:00am
DAVAO CITY, Philippines – President-elect Rodrigo Duterte will hold his first Cabinet meeting right after his inauguration with vice president-elect Leni Robredo on June 30.
But with two weeks left before their inauguration, Duterte is not yet changing his decision to shut Robredo out of the official family even as he has yet to appoint a Cabinet secretary for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
There are also reports that Duterte might not allow Commission on Higher Education (CHED) chairperson Patricia Licuanan to finish her term until 2018.
Reports on her possible replacement circulated on Monday night when Ateneo de Davao University president Joel Tabora wrote in his blog that Duterte has designated former Lyceum of the Philippines University professor Jose David Lapuz as CHED chairman.
Tabora said that Duterte announced the designation of Lapuz in a “room filled with people”
during a meeting in the wee hours of June 8.
“To the professor’s self-deprecating query, ‘Are you really nominating me CHED chair?’, the President replied emphatically, ‘Yes!’” Tabora wrote.
But replacing Licuanan would not be as easy as selecting her replacement.
Unlike other Cabinet posts, the CHED chairperson and the commissioners serve a fixed term of four years, with a possible reappointment, as mandated by Republic Act 7722 or the Higher Education Act of 1994.
Licuanan, who assumed post in 2010, was reappointed by President Aquino in 2014. Her term expires in 2018.
Sought for comment, CHED said Licuanan does not want to second-guess as the announcement of the supposed designation of Lapuz did not come from Duterte.
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“She prefers that the designation come from president-elect Duterte himself,” the CHED said in a statement. “She has a fixed term of office and believes the president-elect will respect it.
In an interview with reporters in Davao City yesterday, incoming presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said he is not aware of the designation of Lapuz as CHED chairperson.
Lapuz was also not among the names of new appointments bared by the camp of the incoming president on Monday night.
Ernesto Abella, an educator and former pastor, has also been designated as spokesman for Duterte, who has been evading the media for almost two weeks now.
Abella clarified that he would not serve as “deputy spokesperson” as reported by the media last Monday, but was tapped as “designated presidential spokesman.”
He is expected to work alongside lawyer Salvador Panelo, whom Duterte previously said would serve as his presidential spokesman.
Abella, who spoke with journalists for the first time yesterday, said he wants to “act as a conduit between himself and the people through the media.”
For the Department of Health, Duterte recently named DOH assistant secretary Paulyn Jean Rosell-Ubial as the new health secretary.
Ubial has been in public health for 26 years now, starting as rural health practice volunteer in Kidapawan, North Cotabato in 1998.
Ubial currently heads the Steering Committee of the Red Orchids Awards, a program of the DOH designed to recognize local government units and government offices and hospitals that have successfully implemented 100-percent smoke-free environment.
She is also vice-chair of the Integrity Management Committee that looks into corruption practices at the DOH and its attached agencies.
She has also been involved in the DOH’s promotion of maternal and child health and immunization programs.
She was the regional director for Davao City from March 2006 to October 2008 and director of the DOH Center for Family and Environmental Health and DOH-Center for Health Development from 2000 to 2006.
Former health secretary Esperanza Cabral welcomed Ubial’s appointment. Cabral described Ubial as a “pro-reproductive health advocate.”
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“We welcome her assumption to office and we wish her all the best,” Cabral added.
Philippine College of Physicians Foundation Inc. president Tony Leachon also welcomes Ubials’
appointment, saying it “uplifts the DOH bureaucracy (with the new secretary) being an insider.”
“I hope her vast experience in community health as a career officer will bring the DOH to greater heights particularly in pushing for primary care system. In my brief meetings with her, I believe she is also a visionary who can steer the DOH to extraordinary levels,” he added. – With Janvic Mateo, Sheila Crisostomo, Alexis Romero
1st Rody Cabinet meet on June 30
By Edith Regalado (The Philippine Star) | Updated June 15, 2016 - 12:00am
DAVAO CITY, Philippines – President-elect Rodrigo Duterte will hold his first Cabinet meeting right after his inauguration with vice president-elect Leni Robredo on June 30.
But with two weeks left before their inauguration, Duterte is not yet changing his decision to shut Robredo out of the official family even as he has yet to appoint a Cabinet secretary for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
There are also reports that Duterte might not allow Commission on Higher Education (CHED) chairperson Patricia Licuanan to finish her term until 2018.
Reports on her possible replacement circulated on Monday night when Ateneo de Davao University president Joel Tabora wrote in his blog that Duterte has designated former Lyceum of the Philippines University professor Jose David Lapuz as CHED chairman.
Tabora said that Duterte announced the designation of Lapuz in a “room filled with people”
during a meeting in the wee hours of June 8.
“To the professor’s self-deprecating query, ‘Are you really nominating me CHED chair?’, the President replied emphatically, ‘Yes!’” Tabora wrote.
But replacing Licuanan would not be as easy as selecting her replacement.
Unlike other Cabinet posts, the CHED chairperson and the commissioners serve a fixed term of four years, with a possible reappointment, as mandated by Republic Act 7722 or the Higher Education Act of 1994.
Licuanan, who assumed post in 2010, was reappointed by President Aquino in 2014. Her term expires in 2018.
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Sought for comment, CHED said Licuanan does not want to second-guess as the announcement of the supposed designation of Lapuz did not come from Duterte.
“She prefers that the designation come from president-elect Duterte himself,” the CHED said in a statement. “She has a fixed term of office and believes the president-elect will respect it.
In an interview with reporters in Davao City yesterday, incoming presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said he is not aware of the designation of Lapuz as CHED chairperson.
Lapuz was also not among the names of new appointments bared by the camp of the incoming president on Monday night.
Ernesto Abella, an educator and former pastor, has also been designated as spokesman for Duterte, who has been evading the media for almost two weeks now.
Abella clarified that he would not serve as “deputy spokesperson” as reported by the media last Monday, but was tapped as “designated presidential spokesman.”
He is expected to work alongside lawyer Salvador Panelo, whom Duterte previously said would serve as his presidential spokesman.
Abella, who spoke with journalists for the first time yesterday, said he wants to “act as a conduit between himself and the people through the media.”
For the Department of Health, Duterte recently named DOH assistant secretary Paulyn Jean Rosell-Ubial as the new health secretary.
Ubial has been in public health for 26 years now, starting as rural health practice volunteer in Kidapawan, North Cotabato in 1998.
Ubial currently heads the Steering Committee of the Red Orchids Awards, a program of the DOH designed to recognize local government units and government offices and hospitals that have successfully implemented 100-percent smoke-free environment.
She is also vice-chair of the Integrity Management Committee that looks into corruption practices at the DOH and its attached agencies.
She has also been involved in the DOH’s promotion of maternal and child health and immunization programs.
She was the regional director for Davao City from March 2006 to October 2008 and director of the DOH Center for Family and Environmental Health and DOH-Center for Health Development from 2000 to 2006.
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Former health secretary Esperanza Cabral welcomed Ubial’s appointment. Cabral described Ubial as a “pro-reproductive health advocate.”
“We welcome her assumption to office and we wish her all the best,” Cabral added.
Philippine College of Physicians Foundation Inc. president Tony Leachon also welcomes Ubials’
appointment, saying it “uplifts the DOH bureaucracy (with the new secretary) being an insider.”
“I hope her vast experience in community health as a career officer will bring the DOH to greater heights particularly in pushing for primary care system. In my brief meetings with her, I believe she is also a visionary who can steer the DOH to extraordinary levels,” he added. – With Janvic Mateo, Sheila Crisostomo, Alexis Romero
Drilon: Koko is majority’s choice for Senate president
By Marvin Sy (The Philippine Star) | Updated June 15, 2016 - 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines – As far as Senate President Franklin Drilon is concerned, Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III will take over his post in the 17th Congress as the clear choice of the majority of senators.
Drilon pointed out that the Liberal Party and its allies in the Senate have eight votes for Pimentel while Sen. Vicente Sotto III of the Nationalist People’s Coalition and its allies have another eight that also support Pimentel.
The statement of Drilon came amid reports that Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano has not yet conceded the battle for the Senate presidency to Pimentel although both are allies of president-elect Rodrigo Duterte.
“You know, it is often said that the Senate presidency is a gift of 13 senators to whoever is the senator they will elect as Senate president. Of course it is the senators who elect their officers, and nobody else,” Drilon said in an interview over ANC.
“Maybe Senator Alan and Senator Koko will talk about the agenda, but insofar as the Senate presidency is concerned, I have with me at least 14 signatures, electing Senator Koko Pimentel as Senate president. That cannot be changed unless those who signed change their minds,” he added.
Pimentel has said that he has not spoken with Cayetano about the issue because the latter has been in Davao City with Duterte.
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He said that the battle for the Senate presidency was clearly a friendly one and that he intends to have a meeting with Cayetano.
Drilon said that the 16 senators agreed to choose Pimentel as the next Senate president, which was primarily to demonstrate the Senate’s intention to work with the incoming president.
“I am giving up my seat. I could have contested it, but I would like to show that since president- elect Duterte has that mandate, okay, we recognize that mandate, Senator Koko Pimentel is the only PDP-Laban (Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan) senator, and there is no one else,” Drilon said.
“There are about six Liberals and about three or four NPC members, and as far as I know the others are independent, but insofar as the PDP-Laban, only Senator Koko Pimentel is a member of the Senate. But nevertheless, the 16 of us decided that Senator Koko should lead the
chamber in the 17th Congress,” he added.
Drilon said that it was important for the 16 senators to settle the Senate leadership early on so that the institution could start its work immediately when the 17th Congress opens session on July 25.
“Each one would have his or her own reason, but we thought that by way of showing our cooperation and support for president-elect Duterte, we elect a party-mate,” Drilon said.
“Let us provide stability as early as possible, so that on July 25, we hit the ground running.
Because we have a lot of things to do, and wrangling for the leadership of the Senate should be settled as early as possible, which is exactly what we did,” he added.
Under the agreement made by the 16 senators and Pimentel, Drilon would serve as Senate president pro tempore and Sotto as majority leader.
Cayetano could end up as minority leader based on the tradition that this is given to the senator who lost in the bid for the Senate presidency.
PDP-Laban leaders also urged Cayetano to stop playing hero and respect the decision of the majority to support Pimentel.
Ben Ranque, PDP-Laban deputy secretary general, made the call after Cayetano vowed to defend Duterte from senators who try to prevent him from implementing his program of government.
“The statement of Cayetano is uncalled for since the Senate majority already declared their full support to the legislative agenda of the Duterte administration,” Ranque said.
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He said there is no need for Cayetano to play hero because no less than Senator Sotto has declared that he will calendar any measure certified as urgent by the President and every member of the Senate would have time to express their views. The final decision to reject or approve any measure, however, will be made by the looming super majority in the Senate.
He also said that Cayetano has no business discussing the allocation of committee chairmanship because he is not part of the Senate majority. – With Perseus Echeminada
Manila Bulletin
Canada calls for better protection of foreign tourists in the Philippines by Samuel Medenilla
June 14, 2016 (updated)
Amid the recent beheading of one of its nationals by the Abu Sayaff, the Canadian government has called for better protection of foreign tourists, who will be visiting Philippines.
“We would like to see more foreign tourists choosing the Philippines as a destination of choice.
And obviously security and safety for foreign tourists and community is very, very important. I cannot emphasize this enough, that a safe and secure environment for foreigners who are visiting is necessary,” Canadian Ambassador for the Philippines Neil Reeder said during a press conference of the Department of Tourism (DOT) in Makati City yesterday.
Reeder issued the statement after it was reported last Tuesday that Abu Sayaff has already executed Robert Hall, one of the four tourists, who were abducted by the Islamist militant group last year.
Hall was allegedly killed after his captors failed to receive the ransom they demanded for his release.
Aside from Hall, another Canadian member of the kidnapped group, John Ridsdel, was also killed by Abu Sayaff last April.
For his part, Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez, Jr. expressed his solemn condolence for the Canadian government over the brutal killing.
He also declared the country’s gratefulness to Canada for maintaining its strong ties with the Philippine government despite the tragic incident.
“In the face of unbearable and condemnable treatment by enemies of peace, you have upheld friendship and unity. Now more than ever, we declare our appreciation for your perseverance
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and your commitment to the eradication of poverty and ignorance in this part of the world,”
Jimenez said during the Tourism Skills Forum (TSF).
During the TSF, DOT thanked the Canadian government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for funding the pilot test of its Tourism Industry Skills Development Program (TISDP) since 2014.
“Your quiet strength is an inspiration to us and we could only reciprocate by proving worthy of your support in our growing tourism industry,” Jimenez said.
Senate, House in sync on Cha-cha for federal shift by Mario Casayuran
June 14, 2016 (updated)
All roads are now clear for the amendment of the 1987 Constitution to make way for the adoption of a federal form of government as both Houses of Congress agreed to prioritize the measure when 17th Congress opens on July 25.
The move, which was put on the backburner during the previous congresses, has taken a front row seat in the next Congress after President-elect Rodrigo R. Duterte called for a shift in the form of government from unilateral to federal.
Debates on the mode to tinker with the 1987 Constitution are also seen to sail smoothly after outgoing Senate President Franklin Drilon agreed with Duterte’s call for a constitutional convention to amend the Constitution.
“I am in favor of amending the Constitution and I am in favor of a constitutional convention (ConCon). The form of government will be discussed on a concon and my view as a senator will not matter at that point, because it will be the delegates’. So when we have concon- which I favor – then the delegates will lead,” he said.
Asked whether he cannot be a delegate, Drilon said that one has to resign first “and you know, they (delegates) will present themselves to the people, and present their program, and
included in that is whether you are in favor of federalism or the presidential system.”
Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III, president of PDP-Laban party and the emerging Senate president, said Charter change (Cha-cha) and the proposal to reimpose death penalty would be the priority legislative agenda of the coming Congress.
Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez, the presumptive House of Representative speaker, wants to have a Constitutional Commission (Con-Com) to draft revisions in the Charter.
Con-Com was held in 1986 when the late President Corazon Aquino hand-picked the delegates who wrote the 1987 Constitution.
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“We prefer a Con-Com that is composed of learned people, recognized experts in their fields, and then after that Congress can look at the draft,” Alvarez said.
The 1987 Constitution specifically states that ConCon, Constitutional Assembly (ConAss) and the People’s Initiative are the three modes that the Constitution could be revisited.
