Asean Tribune

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said Thursday the government is addressing the immediate concerns of 19 minors in the Socorro Bayanihan Services, Inc. (SBSI) found to be in common-law relationships and are suffering from malnutrition.

This was after Remulla met with representatives of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in connection with the Surigao del Norte-based cult.

“We have to look at it as a community with the aim of protecting children from certain practices na di dapat ginagawa (that are not permitted). There are 19 children who are in common-law relationships. We are talking about teenagers 18 years and below who are common-law wives dun sa (in) Socorro,” Remulla said in a press briefing.

“Our end goal is to take care of these children. May mga lalake rin na tatlo (there are also three boys) who are in relationships with adults. A lot of the children are malnourished. Hindi maganda ang buhay (They endure poor
living conditions) but they have no other choice.”

Remulla said more than a hundred social workers have been deployed by the DSWD to the area to handle the situation.

On Monday, SBSI leader Jey Rence Quilario, also known as Senior Agila, and other respondents attended a clarificatory hearing held by the Department of Justice, which would determine whether a full-blown preliminary investigation into the charges against the group’s senior members is viable.

In June, complaints for qualified trafficking, kidnapping, and serious illegal detention, violation of Republic Act 7610 or the Anti-Child Abuse law were filed against Quilario and 12 others before the Surigao City Prosecutors Office.

A separate complaint for adultery against another SBSI member and a complaint for obstruction of justice were filed against another leader of the group.

Preliminary investigations related to the Socorro group will be conducted in Manila.

The SBSI is a Surigao del Norte-based people’s organization with 3,650 members, 1,587
of whom are believed to be minors.

Source: Philippines News Agency

South Korean men’s football captain Son Heung-min watched with joy as a rising star wearing Son’s signature number carried the country to the Asian Games gold medal earlier this month.

Jeong Woo-yeong of VfB Stuttgart led the Asiad tournament with eight goals in seven matches and scored one in the gold medal match to lift South Korea’s under-24 team past Japan to the top of the podium. Jeong did so wearing No. 7, typically reserved for Son on the senior squad.

Jeong did his best Sonny impression throughout the competition, playing all over the field to demonstrate his offensive versatility and also his clinical finishing in the danger zone.

Speaking on the eve of South Korea’s friendly against Tunisia, Son said Thursday he’d like to see continued progress from the 24-year-old Jeong.

“He did a tremendous job helping the team, and I’d like to congratulate him,” Son said at a press conference at the National Football Center in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. “But this is not the end of his career. We don’t play
football just to compete at the Asian Games. I hope he keeps thinking about ways that can help him get better and better.

“After a tournament like that, players tend to get carried away and feel too excited,” Son continued. “But Woo-yeong isn’t like that. He is a calm person, and I am sure this was a tournament that will help him grow. I hope he can be an even better player for the senior team.”

Son also said South Korea should try to create some positive momentum in their upcoming men’s football friendlies — with Vietnam up next on Tuesday — as they get ready for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers in November and then the Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup in January.

“The most important event for us is the Asian Cup in January. And in these two matches, we must try to extend our winning streak,” said Son, whose team picked up their first win under Klinsmann in September against Saudi Arabia. “This is our opportunity to build positive momentum and go into the Asian Cup feeling good about ourselves. And n
o one else can create that kind of vibe. We have to earn it through good results.”

Son arrived in South Korea feeling quite good about the state of his own game. He is leading Tottenham Hotspur with six goals this season, only two behind the Premier League leader in that department, Erling Haaland of Manchester City. Spurs are also sitting pretty atop the league tables with an undefeated record of six wins and two draws.

Son, the 2021-22 Golden Boot winner held to only 10 goals in the 2022-23 season, said he has “absolutely zero personal ambitions” this season.

“I only think about how I can help the team,” Son said. “When I do things that are necessary for the team, then I can gain a few things for myself. And I also want to make up for last season and show fans what I didn’t get to show them last year. I try to entertain football fans in every moment.”

Son is also a little banged up, with a groin injury holding him out of training for both the club and the national team in recent days. Son said he will t
ake part in Thursday’s session.

“I think people may be worried about my health, because there has been more talk about my physical condition than about the matches,” Son said. “I am feeling much better now than I did when I first arrived here. So I’ll participate in training and see how I feel.”

Source: Yonhap News Agency

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in Region 5 (Bicol) on Wednesday gave some 80,000 tilapia fingerlings to a fisherfolk group in Bombon town, Camarines Sur province as part of its continuing efforts to revitalize the aquaculture industry.

Rowena Briones, BFAR-5 information officer, said the grant aims to increase productivity and eventually improve the living conditions of the fishers in the province.

‘The 80,000 tilapia fingerlings were awarded to Bombon Fishpond Operators Association, a duly registered organization to the Department of Labor and Employment with 69 members,’ she said in an interview on Thursday.

Briones said the fingerlings were sourced from the Buhi Freshwater Fish Farm and Nursery in Buhi, Camarines Sur and given as part of the Tilapia Techno Demo Project with a total cost of PHP1.4 million.

Aside from the juvenile fish, the fisherfolk also received pre-starter, starter, grower and finisher feeds. Their tentative harvest will be on February 2024.

In a statement,
Nilo Consuelo, BFAR-5 production division chief, said the project under BFAR’s Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) program is an integral initiative of the government to support the marginalized fisherfolk.

The SAAD Program Phase II aims to contribute to the reduction of poverty through the provision of fishery interventions to marginal fisherfolk.

Source: Philippines News Agency

Kia Corp., South Korea’s second-largest automaker, unveiled two brand new concept electric vehicle (EV) units with the goal to commercially launch the midsize SUV and sedan models in 2024.

At a 2023 Kia EV Day press event held in Yeoju, 62 kilometers southeast of Seoul, Kia revealed for the first time its concept midsize EV3 SUV and midsize EV4 sedan models.

The company also unveiled to the South Korean press for the first time its EV5 SUV model. The model was first announced at the 2023 Chengdu International Automobile Industry exhibition in August.

The EV3 and EV4 are scheduled to be launched in the South Korean market in the first and second halves of 2024, respectively. Kia plans to release the EV5 in the first half of 2025.

The new models are the latest additions to Kia’s EV lineup currently comprising of the EV6 and EV9.

The EV3 embodies Kia’s design philosophy, characterized by its voluminous body and Kia’s new electric car design language. The concept unit features Kia’s Star-map Signature Lig
hting and vertical headlamps.

The EV4 features a wide front hood gently contoured to create a futuristic impression. Its rear frame and glass extends all the way to the end of the trunk, creating a low and striking silhouette.

The EV5, installed with Hyundai Motor Group’s dedicated proprietary EV platform called E-GMP, will be produced both in South Korea and China. The Chinese units will be produced in three different variants based on wheel-drive capacities.

The company said the models will be sold at between US$35,000 to $50,000 to help popularize the EV market.

Kia President Song Ho-sung said the company shift to electrification is “not a choice but a necessity.”

“We will provide solutions to address concerns, such as high prices and charging inconveniences, that may deter people from buying electric cars,” Song said.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

A municipal mayor in Maguindanao del Sur province was arrested Wednesday night by agents of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (CIDG-BARMM) after he was linked to the murder of a town councilor last April.

Mayor Solayman Sandigan of Datu Salibo town did not resist arrest when law enforcers presented him with the warrant of arrest issued by the Regional Trial Court Branch 15 in Cotabato City.

The CIDG, backed by Datu Piang municipal police office personnel and the military’s 601st Infantry Brigade, served the warrant at around 7 p.m. in his home in Datu Piang town.

Sandigan was linked to the April 17, 2023 murder of Datu Salibo Municipal Councilor Demsom Silongan.

Silongan, 50, had just alighted from his pickup truck that time to attend a session at the town’s Sangguniang Bayan building when shot dead by a gunman.

The councilor’s driver, John Madzig, was injured in the incident.

The arrested mayor denied the charges and insisted he was innoce
nt of the crime.

Following his arrest, Sandigan was brought to the CIDG detention facility in this city.

The court recommended no bail for the mayor’s arrest. Four other individuals who were listed in the warrant of arrest with Sandigan have voluntarily surrendered, according to the CIDG-BARMM.

Source: Philippines News Agency