n emotional President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday urged the government and the public to take collective action and exert extra effort to eradicate cases of Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children (OSAEC).
In his speech during the “Iisang Nasyon, Iisang Aksyon: Tapusin ang Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children
A
(OSAEC) Ngayon Summit 2024” in Makati City, President Marcos emphasized the need for the government to strengthen its
efforts against the sexual exploitation of children online.
“For us to allow this to happen in our country, it brings to me an overwhelming sense of shame because being in government, being in public service, we
are not doing enough. We must do more,” a teary-eyed President Marcos said.
“It is sexual abuse and exploitation of children. And I leave it to your imagination, and I would imagine in some cases your imagination cannot even begin
to fathom what is done to these poor children – to our poor children,” the President added.
MANILA – Officials and lawyers of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) may face charges for obstruction of justice for allegedly assisting their leader, Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, evade arrest, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said on Monday.
“Definitely from their side, there are identified KOJC officers and legal representatives who have been very vocal from the start that Pastor Quibioloy was not inside the KOJC compound,” PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said at a press briefing held at Camp Crame in Quezon City.
Quiboloy went into hiding after he was ordered arrested by a Pasig City court for the non-bailable offense of qualified human trafficking.
He also faces a child sexual abuse case before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court.
He and his four co-accused aides were forced to surrender on Sept. 8 after 16 days of police takeover in the 30-hectare KOJC compound in Davao City.
Fajardo said the PNP is also planning an operation to rescue others abused by Quiboloy, as revealed by five victims.
“Pinag-uusapan ngayon ‘yan, ‘yung posible rescue operation na pwede natin gawin dahil according sa mga biktima na nakaalis na ay marami pa siłang mga kaibigan at mga nakasama nila doon din sa org(anization) nila na nandoon pa sa loob at natatakot (It is now being discussed, the possible rescue operation that we could do, because according to
the victims, they have friends and acquaintances who are inside and are still afraid),” Fajardo said.
The PNP had obtained personal information of the purported victims, who fear the Angels of Death, as what Quiboloy's alleged private army is called
Fajardo encouraged the victims to seek help from those who are outside the KOJC.
She said the PNP is set to file more child abuse cases against Quiboloy, based on the statement of the five victims who were minors at the time of the crime.
Fajardo said investigators were able to establish the pattern of abuse of Quiboloy among the minor victims.
She said PNP is working with concerned government agencies, particularly the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
The Firearms and Explosives Office was also requested to revoke the licenses of members of the Angels of Death, allegedly including Army reservists.
Quiboloy is detained at the PNP Custodial Facility in Camp Crame while his co-accused were transferred to the Pasig City jail. (PNA)
MANILA – Voting 14-1, the Supreme Court (SC) En Banc has affirmed rulings of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) cancelling the registration of An Waray party-list group.
An Waray was one of the 14 party-list groups proclaimed as initial winners in the 2013 elections that were guaranteed with one seat each.
In a ruling promulgated August 6, the High Court said under the Constitution and the Party-List System Act, it is the Comelec that has exclusive jurisdiction to rule on the cancellation of party-list registrations.
Following an initial Comelec ruling, the National Board of Canvassers (NBOC) had issued a resolution cancelling the registration of some party-list groups, which resulted in the adjustment of the seat allocations, so that An Waray’s number increased to two.
The resolution, however, came with the caveat that the new allocation was without prejudice to the possible proclamation of other parties later.
The NBOC issued a Certificate of Proclamation to An Waray, entitling its first nominee, Neil Benedict Montejo
(Montejo), to sit in the House of Representatives of the 16th Congress. Montejo took his oath of office on June 26, 2013.
An Waray’s second nominee, Victoria Isabel Noel (Noel), also took an oath of office on July 13, 2013, based on the tally of votes indicated in NBOC Resolution No. 0008-2013.
On Aug. 20, 2014, the Comelec issued NBOC Resolution No. 13-030(PL)/0004-14 where it declared the final distribution of seats for party-list groups, following the reversal by the SC of the Comelec’s cancellation of the registration of Abang Lingkod party-list.
In Abang Lingkod’s case, the Comelec was ordered by the Court to proclaim it as a legitimate party-list, resulting yet again in an adjustment in the allocation of seats.
In the final distribution, An Waray was declared to be entitled to only one seat.
In 2019, Danilo Pornias and Jude Acidre filed a petition for cancellation of An
Waray’s registration for alleged violation of the Party-List System Act.
They claimed that Noel, with An Waray’s knowledge and consent, took her oath and assumed office as second nominee of An Waray in the 16th Congress, even when An Waray was entitled to only one seat.
The Comelec’s Second Division granted the petition.
This was affirmed by the Comelec En Banc, prompting the parties to bring the case to the SC claiming that it is the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET), not the Comelec, which has jurisdiction over the petition to cancel.
“The jurisdiction of the HRET is limited only to contests relating to the election, returns, and qualifications of incumbent HOR members,” the Court said.
To determine whether HRET must assume jurisdiction over a case, the Court
MANILA – The House of Representatives (HOR) has tapped the Philippine National Police (PNP) in arresting former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque who has been considered a fugitive after being cited in contempt by the HOR.
“All law enforcers who have received a copy of the contempt order, they can arrest Atty. Harry Roque if they see him. The PNP has been directed to assist the House Sergeant at Arms in finding Roque, " PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said in a press briefing at Camp Crame, Quezon City on Monday.
She said the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) has proceeded to Roque's two known addresses in Metro Manila but he was not there.
Roque was cited in contempt and ordered detained at the HOR building for refusing to submit subpoenaed documents related to his alleged involvement with illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).
The subpoenaed documents include his
Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth and records connected to his family firm, Biancham Holdings, as well as a land transaction in Parañaque City.
Despite multiple summonses, Roque ignored the joint panel and refused to cooperate, leading authorities to serve the arrest order at his Makati office, where he was not found, raising concerns of deliberate evasion.
Earlier, Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, chairperson of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs, said Roque should stand by his promise to submit the documents requested of him by the panel, instead of dishing out his frustrations against the panel via various social media platforms.
Barbers also dared Roque to show up at the quad comm hearings and justify hi
refusal to submit the documents being asked by the panel.
Roque was implicated in the POGO controversy for accompanying and helping Cassandra Li Ong, an official of Whirlwind and Lucky South 99 gaming firm, to pay off arrears totaling USD500,000.
He has admitted, on record, to being a lawyer for Whirlwind, the company that is leasing its Porac compound to Lucky South 99.
Roque, former spokesperson of then president Rodrigo Duterte, in a social media post, labeled the quad comm as a kangaroo court, just wasting government money on hearings “that did not prove anything”. (PNA)
SPEAKER Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez delivered a stern warning to public officials on Monday, declaring that the House of Representatives will not tolerate hypocrisy, evasion, or the misuse of public funds.
In a forceful statement at the opening of plenary deliberations on the proposed P6.352-trillion national budget for 2025, Speaker Romualdez signaled that the
MANILA – The Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 282 in Valenzuela City granted on Monday the request of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality to allow dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo to appear in the continuation of its inquiry into illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).
Acting on the request of the Senate committee and recognizing its power to conduct inquiries in aid of legislation, Guo (a.k.a Guo Hua Ping) was given permission to testify in Tuesday’s hearing which will start 9 a.m., according to the order signed by presiding judge Elena Amigo-Amano.
DSWD spokesperson Irene Dumlao said the agency gave PHP37.67 million worth of humanitarian assistance to families affected by Kanlaon's ongoing volcanic activities and its eruption in June of this year, and PHP10.47 million for families hit by Ferdie two days ago.
“The PHP48,149,794 aid provided to the affected individuals includes food and non-food items (FNIs) and cash assistance,” said Dumlao, also the DSWD’s Assistant Secretary for Disaster Response Management Group.
The humanitarian aid distributed to Kanlaon-affected includes 17,390 boxes of family food packs (FFPs) and PHP15.98 million financial aid under the
MANILA – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said Monday it has so far provided more than PHP48.14 million in humanitarian aid to families affected by Tropical Storm (TS) Ferdie and Mt. Kanlaon's increasing unrest.
Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS).
Currently, Dumlao said 17,279 families or 57,226 persons in 23 barangays in Western Visayas and Central Visayas have been affected by Kanlaon's unrest.
She said victims of TS Ferdie received 11,878 FFPs and PHP73,000 cash assistance under AICS.
Dumlao said the tropical storm affected 98,274 families or 357,906 in 764 barangays in Regions Mimaropa, 5 (Bicol Region), Western Visayas, Central Visayas, 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula), 10 (Northern Mindanao), 12 (Soccsksargen), and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). (PNA)
House would take a zero-tolerance approach toward those who undermine