Day: March 26, 2023

Senator JV Ejercito called on the national government to give emphasis on the needs and welfare of almost 1.2 million Filipinos who are on the autism spectrum. In Senate Bill 2062 or an Act Establishing Center for Autism, Ejercito said it is about time that the government should also take care of children and adults who are suffering from autism and other intellectual disabilities. Data from Center for Disease Control and Prevention show that autism affects one out of every 68 persons, and in the Philippines, one in every 100 Filipinos has autism spectrum disorder (ASD). ASD is a brain-based disorder that affects behavior, communication skills and social skills. It includes Asperger’s Syndrome, Rett Syndrome, Childhood disintegrative disorder, Kanner’s syndrome and Pervasive Developmental Disorder- Not Otherwise Specified (PDDNOS). Ejercito’s measure seeks the creation of a center for autism that would establish diagnostics, therapeutic and rehabilitation clinics, provide vocational training programs for autistic adults, and extend free diagnostic and rehabilitation to indigent autistic. It also proposes training programs for teachers, therapists and other medical professionals who will aid children and adults with autism. Under his proposal, the Center for Autism shall be governed by the National Autism Board, to be placed under the Office of the President (OP). The center will be headed by an official of the Department of Health while members will be from the Department of Education, Department of Social Welfare and Development, and National Council for the Welfare of Disabled Persons. Two representatives from the Autism Society of the Philippines, and two parents of children and adults with autism will be on the board as well. An initial fund of PHP50 million from the OP will be allocated to jumpstart the center.

Source: Philippines News Agency

A senior police official has been recommended as the new chief of the National Office of Investigation in charge of commanding police investigation forces nationwide, informed sources said Sunday.

The National Police Agency recently recommended Woo Jong-soo, commissioner general of the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police, to President Yoon Suk Yeol, according to the sources. The presidential office is expected to announce his appointment Monday.

Having entered police service in 1999, Woo has served in various key positions, including the head of the Yongsan Police Station in Seoul and the investigation bureau chief at the Seoul Metropolitan Police.

Last month, Chung Sun-sin, a prosecutor-turned-lawyer appointed to head the National Office of Investigation, stepped down, just a day ahead of assuming his post, amid a bullying controversy involving his son at school.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

A recent wildfire in eastern Spain hit around 4,000 hectares of forest and forced 1,500 people to leave their homes. The wildfire which began Thursday between the provinces of Castellon and Teruel is reportedly slowly being brought under control. Eight small towns and villages in the surrounding area were evacuated between Thursday and Friday as the fire, which reportedly started by crop burning, rapidly spread because of the strong winds and unseasonably dry conditions. Some 500 firemen, forestry workers and members of the Emergency Unit of the Spanish Military battled the blaze and slowly contained it. Teresa Rivera, minister for the ecological transition, said climate change was the underlying cause of the fire. Rivera noted that the region, “traditionally a cool and damp area,” had suffered from changed patterns of “temperature and humidity.” “We are starting a fifth year of drought in the Iberian Peninsula: the conditions of water and temperature are not those that have traditionally existed in our country and that explains the greater vulnerability of our natural spaces,” she said. The summer of 2022 in Spain was the hottest on record, with over 300,000 hectares of land burnt by wildfires, over three times more than the 84,827 hectares burnt in 2021. The State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) forecasts unseasonably hot weather in this area, with temperatures in the mid-20s Celsius up to 30 degrees Celsius by the end of the coming week.

Source: Philippines News Agency

Law enforcers are looking at possible ‘terrorist-related’ activities in Negros Oriental following the confiscation of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and components during a series of raids at a sugar mill in Sta. Catalina town over the weekend. Col. Thomas Valmonte, legal counsel of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), told reporters in a press briefing at Dumaguete-Sibulan airport here on Sunday afternoon that they will do a trace on the IEDs. He believes the presence of these IEDs would indicate possible ‘terroristic’ activity. ‘If you possess that, there is an indication of an act of terrorism so we are looking at the angle of terrorism here and we will submit these explosives to our forensic group of the EOD (Explosives Ordinance Division) to determine if this is the signature of the communist or some terrorist groups from central Mindanao,’ he said. The CIDG led the raids at HDJ Bayawan Agri-Venture Corp. sugar mill compound in Barangay Caranoche, Sta. Catalina on Friday and Saturday, by virtue of a search warrant issued by the Mandaue City court. On the first day, the operatives seized firearms, ammunition, and cash amounting to about PHP18 million. The second day yielded IEDs and components and a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) ammunition, among other things, that were buried and retrieved with the aid of a backhoe, said Valmonte. An initial report showed that the arms cache recovered in the past two days included six long firearms and 10 short firearms of different calibers, three pieces of IEDs and components, one RPG ammunition, 4,000 assorted live rounds of ammunition of various calibers, and money. Three suspects were also arrested for alleged possession of illegal firearms during the search. Valmonte said the arms cache, money, and the three suspects will be turned over to national government authorities in Manila. A military aircraft arrived at the airport here on Sunday and transported the suspects, confiscated items and law enforcement personnel. The CIDG lawyer identified the subject of the warrant as Pryde Henry Teves, the former governor of Negros Oriental and former mayor of Bayawan City. Teves is the brother of Third District Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr., who is being linked to the killing of Gov. Roel Degamo and eight others in Pamplona town on March 4. Rep. Teves’ foreign travel authority expired March 9 but he has yet to return, allegedly from the United States. He has been suspended for 60 days by Congress. Valmonte clarified that the series of raids in Sta. Catalina is not connected to the Pamplona massacre but in line with the CIDG’s ‘Oplan Paglalansag’ (Dismantling) against illegal firearms. As of late Sunday, CIDG operatives were continuing the search at the sugar mill compound, with Valmonte saying he will be staying for a few more days until all efforts are exhausted to seize all illegal firearms and ammunition pursuant to the court warrant. Meanwhile, Pryde Henry Teves, in his regular radio program on Saturday here, said that he is willing to cooperate with authorities. He said he has even reached out to the Department of Justice already and will volunteer to present himself when necessary. Valmonte welcomed the offer but did not expound on it.

Source: Philippines News Agency

Residents of Barangay Muzon in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan have approved the split of the village into four, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) reported on Sunday. Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudingco said a total of 12,324 residents, or 92.51 percent of the 13,322 registered voters who participated in the plebiscite on Saturday, agreed to split their biggest barangay into four – Barangay Muzon Proper, Barangay Muzon East, Barangay Muzon West, and Barangay Muzon South. The barangay has a total of 43,771 registered voters, but only 30.44 percent (13,322) participated in the plebiscite. ‘Given this clear mandate from the constituency of Barangay Muzon, considered the most populous area in the City of San Jose del Monte, the original barangay will henceforth be divided into four distinct and independent barangays,’ Laudingco said in a statement. The move to split the barangay into four is aimed at improving the delivery of basic social services. Laudiangco said the Comelec en banc, headed by chair George Garcia, expressed gratitude to poll employees as well as all its stakeholders, including the local government of Bulacan and the City of San Jose del Monte, for their help and support in ensuring a peaceful and orderly plebiscite.

Source: Philippines News Agency

Australia and the Philippines’ engagements are expected to increase in 2023 and beyond as the two countries move to upgrade their partnership from comprehensive to a strategic one, with focus on adapting to a rapidly changing security environment in the region. In an exclusive interview with the Philippine News Agency (PNA) this week, Australian Ambassador HK Yu PSM said the two nations are hoping to formalize the strategic partnership ‘sometime this year’. ‘The elevation of the partnership, actually, to a large extent, recognizes the complex world that we’re living in. The region that the Philippines and Australia are living in is becoming more and more challenging, there’s no question about it,’ she said. She said the international law-based order is under enormous pressure, the ‘kind that we haven’t seen since the end of World War II’. ‘You just have to look at what’s happening in Ukraine. Russia’s terrible, immoral and illegal invasion of Ukraine. And you have to see just at our doorsteps in the South China Sea the kinds of activities that are happening there and you realize how important true friends and strategic partners are,’ she said. ‘This strategic partnership is really in recognition of that as well that in that kind of world, we need our friends, true friends, partners, and good neighbors working even closer together,’ she added. READ: PH, Australia commit to further deepen defense ties When asked what Canberra expects from this improved relations, the envoy’s response was straightforward. ‘What we want to achieve under the strategic partnership is to actually even further integrate our economies, because ultimately, economic power is your strategic power,’ she said. ‘It’s in Australia’s interest to ensure that the Philippines is strong, resilient, and prosperous, because it’s only then that our region will be a stable, prosperous and secure place,’ she added. She said Australia is inclined to support Manila achieve post-pandemic recovery and jointly benefit through greater economic interactions. Once strategic partnership is declared, Yu also hoped Manila would see Australia as a ‘partner of choice’ when procuring its assets. ‘For example, if there is something that we can produce, we would really like the Philippines to choose us,’ she said, citing as example vessels to patrol Philippine waters. Responsive cooperation As ‘comprehensive partners,’ Australia already supports Manila in various fields, such as peace efforts in Mindanao, agriculture research, education, women empowerment, defense and security, and trade, among others. Canberra allocates nearly AUD90 million in development assistance to the country annually, at least 47 percent of which go directly to peace-building in the south. From 2022 to 2023 alone, the Australian Embassy said the Philippines received an estimated PHP3.1 billion in official development assistance. This includes PHP2.5 billion in bilateral funds to help mitigate threats to ‘regional security and peacebuilding efforts in Mindanao and advance inclusive economic growth, including through social protection programs for the poorest and most vulnerable’. The remaining PHP648 million, on the other hand, would be coursed through global and regional programs. The Australian Embassy said this ‘longstanding and responsive’ development cooperation is in line with the Marcos administration’s agenda for long-term growth. ‘Our development program for the Philippines is Australia’s fifth largest in the world. And when I say this, lots of people are really surprised that Australia pays so much attention to the Philippines,’ Yu said. ‘Our program has been spent more recently in Mindanao because we were really there along with you when the Marawi siege happened [in 2017].’ Yu said Australia would continue its support and is in fact crafting a new program to sustain the progress achieved in the Bangsamoro peace efforts. ‘For Australia, we really want to continue to show our support because we recognize that it’s not all done and dusted yet. And it is important that all supporting countries are there to provide assistance through the next few years,’ she said. The envoy did not elaborate but said the fresh assistance would focus on the independent decommissioning body. ‘It’s a very natural resource rich region. So if you can get the peace bit done well, and if that can be sustained then you have this amazing opportunity to draw in foreign investment,’ she said. READ: Australian gov’t to help PH lure infra investments Further, Canberra takes a holistic approach in responding to Manila’s development priorities. For fiscal year 2022 to 2023, the Australian Centre for International Agriculture Research has invested AUD4.5 million or approximately PHP162 million to make the country’s agricultural products more productive, marketable and internationally competitive, and to protect the rural poor from climate change. ‘We have around 220 projects, since over the period of four decades, where the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research has been working actively with the Philippines, on projects that really matter,’ Yu said. ‘They’ve actually done a whole heap of things that are actually now converting into real commercial outcomes for the Philippines. And we will continue to do that,’ she assured. Education is also high in Australia’s priorities in the Philippines. So far, it has built 509 classrooms naationwide and helped establish and reform the Department of Education’s systems and structures to inform sound decision and policy making, among others. It likewise provides scholarships annually to Filipino students. Yu said Manila continues to get a ‘big share’ of allocated slots for the Australia Awards given Manila’s importance to Canberra. ‘So this is what we are trying to do to ensure that we’re providing just a different type of education to Filipinos and different type of experience by actually living in Australia for that one or two years,’ she said. Australia and the Philippines’ anticipated move to bring relations to a new high this 2023 will come eight years after the joint declaration on comprehensive partnership was signed in 2015.

Source: Philippines News Agency