News Update
As of November 08, 2017 (Wednesday)
1. Manila Bulletin
Santiago quits as DDB chief
Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) Chairman Dionisio Santiago resigned from his post on Monday following the orders of President Duterte. Santiago‟s resignation came after his comment that the mega drug rehabilitation facility in Nueva Ecija was a “mistake.”
Santiago is the second DDB chief to leave the post under the Duterte administration. He only assumed the office on July 10, 2017. His predecessor, Benjamin Reyes, was sacked for contradicting Duterte‟s data on the number of Filipinos addicted to drugs. Duterte said there were 4 million drug addicts while Reyes said there were only 1.8 million.
https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/11/08/santiago-quits-as-ddb-chief/
2. Philippine Star
More Chinese island-building? Rody relies on ‘good faith’
President Duterte is relying on China‟s “good faith” that it would not embark on new reclamation activities in the South China Sea and West Philippine Sea in the face of renewed concerns sparked by Beijing‟s launching of a large dredging vessel.
China recently launched what it described as a “magic island-maker” vessel, triggering speculations that it would be used to reclaim Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal. Duterte said Chinese President Xi Jinping himself had promised not to reclaim Pagasa “and the nearby islands that we have occupied already.”
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http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/11/08/1756771/more-chinese-island-building-rody-relies-good-faith
3. Daily Inquirer
In Seoul, Trump calls for North Korea to ‘make a deal’
In a striking shift of tone, President Donald Trump abandoned his aggressive rhetoric toward North Korea on Tuesday, signaling a willingness to negotiate as he urged Pyongyang to “come to the table” and “make a deal.”
Trump, in his first day on the Korean peninsula, again pushed Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons program, but sounded an optimistic note, saying confidently, if vaguely, “ultimately, it‟ll all work out.”
And while he said the United States would use military force if needed, he expressed his strongest inclination yet to deal with rising tensions with Pyongyang through diplomacy.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/943817/north-korean-missile-crisis-donald-trump-moon-jae-in-kim-jong-un
4. Manila Times
2 SSS execs in stock market scandal face probe for bribery, says official
Two of four officials of the Social Security System (SSS) accused of using agency information on stock market placement for their personal enrichment will also be investigated for alleged bribery, Commissioner Jose
“Pompee” La Vina said on Tuesday.
“The reports that I have received say that these are six-figure cash bribes, based on the volume that SSS gives to its stockbrokers,” La Vina said in a media briefing, saying that at least one stockbroker may be bribing officials in the agency‟s investments sector.
He did not name who among them were allegedly accepting bribes because the reports “still have to be verified”. He added that his oversight committee would draft the second complaint and would be subject to approval by the commission.
http://www.manilatimes.net/2-sss-execs-stock-market-scandal-face-probe-bribery-says-official/361274/
