Philippines News

INSTEAD of providing assistance, a senior citizen allegedly mistreated a 15-year-old girl.

To preserve the victim's dignity, the name of the suspect, who is believed to be in his 60s, has been withheld.

The minor victim, identified as Mika (real name withheld), who is reportedly not of sound mind, was escorted by a barangay official to the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC), where it was discovered that she had been abused.

Criselda Logronio, head of Barangay Capitol Site's Violence Against Women (VAW) program, revealed that the CCMC called their office to inform them of the girl's fate.

Mika was reportedly adopted by the suspect's nephew, a Catholic lay minister.

The alleged rape incident took place last week.

Mika narrated that the suspect offered to give her a motorcycle ride as she was going to get a baptismal certificate from a church in Cebu City where she was baptized.

The suspect offered her refreshments on the way but instead took her to a lodging house, where she was sexually abused.

The victim claimed that the perpetrator threatened to harm her if she resisted.

Logronio stated that they are now waiting for the girl's examination schedule at the Pink Room of the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center.

Meanwhile, the Women and Children’s Protection Desk of the Cebu City Police Office has already been informed about the incident, according to Logronio.(BBT, TPT)

THE Lapu-Lapu City Government will host the “Buhay Ingatan, Droga Ayawan (Bida) Bayanihan ng Mamamayan Fun Run” of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on July 29, 2023.

The race will start at 4:35 a.m. at the Lapu-Lapu City Hoopsdome.

The City of Lapu-Lapu Office for the Substance Abuse Prevention (Closap) serves as the focal office for the Bida program, while the DILG serves as the lead agency for the program.

In a press conference Thursday, July 20, 2023, Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan said he is happy that Bida fun run is finally going to happen, stressing that it has been postponed several times.

"Finally, kapila na ni na move but madayon na jud ang atoang Bida run," Chan said.

DILG Secretary Benhur Abalos Jr. will lead the event along with Chan and other government officials and runners.

Chan said Abalos will join the 4K race.

Bida is a national anti-illegal drug advocacy campaign that involves local government units (LGUS), National Government agencies (NGAs), and other significant societal sectors. It will place more emphasis on drug demand reduction and drug rehabilitation.

"We are proud to say that out of 30 barangays, six barangays were already drug-cleared, and one drug free," said Chan on Thursday.

He added that the program will encourage other barangays to be also drug-cleared, adding that it will help promote Lapu-Lapu City as safe for tourists.

The DILG in Central Visayas reported that 14,298 people are expected to join the Bida opening, with the Lapu-Lapu City Government committed to gather 10,000 participants for other activities and 5,000 for the fun run.

The participants for the event will come from the different barangays in the city, different offices from City Hall, Lapu-Lapu City Police Office (LLCPO), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Lapu-Lapu City Fire District, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), Philippine Air Force (PAF), City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, City Traffic Management System (CTMS), and Local Youth Development Office.

Chan encouraged their partner government agencies, different sectoral organizations, and the Oponganons to join and register for the Bida fun run.

He said registration fee for the 2K and 4K races will be P400 per participant. This will cover the runner’s T-shirt, race tag, early morning snacks, as well as medals and prices for the winners.

Walk-in registration is allowed from Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Closap and Lapu-Lapu City Local Youth Development Office. Participants may also visit the Bida 2023 Run Kontra Droga Facebook page.

"This event will take only one and a half hour, so siguro before six o'clock, human nata ug naa na Hoopsdome," Chan said.

Chan said they intend to start the event early in the morning so as to avoid causing traffic.

"We encourage all the participants coming from the government workers, and we required them to join because this is against illegal drugs," he said.

He added that there is no age requirement, as long as the participant is physically fit and healthy. Senior Citizens can also join. (Judie Liza Alantoson, CNU intern)

THE Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) and the motorists both have the “responsibility” to ensure that the implementation of the motorcycle lane in Cebu South Coastal Road (CSCR) is successful.

Kent Francesco Jongoy, CCTO’s legal officer, told SunStar Cebu on Wednesday, July 19, 2023, that “traffic management is a two-way street.”

“Even if you put an enforcer in the middle of an intersection, install signages, and put up traffic light system but if the motorists or drivers will just disregard the rules and regulations, traffic management will still be doomed to fail,” he said.

Jongoy’s statement came after CCTO’s public announcement on its official Facebook page about the implementation of the motorcycle lane. The new policy received mixed reactions from the online community.

One netizen asked if the policy covers big bikes and a particular exemption of Cubic Capacity (CC) in the motorcycle lane.

“There is no distinction to the CC of the motor. This is a generic term for two-wheeled and three-wheeled vehicles which under our laws considered motorized bicycles and tricycles. So this will apply across the board,” Jongoy said.

He assured the public that CCTO has a lot of preparations in line with the motorcycle lanes.

Installation of information signages along the whole stretch of the CSCR and road markings for motorcycle symbol, which will be visible at the outer rightmost lanes in the CSCR, is among those being prepared.

Meanwhile, traffic enforcers will be fully deployed next week after their week-long information drive.

In line with the new mandate, Jongoy asked the public, especially the motorists, to cooperate with the authorities and follow the new traffic scheme

Safety for the motorists is the top priority and aim of this mandate, Jongoy stressed. (Erica Abella, CNU intern)

A nationwide group of teachers has scored the Department of Budget and Management over its failure to blacklist the supplier of laptops for public school teachers that were found to be pricey and outdated in 2022.

THE selection of schools that will house the contingents of Pasigarbo sa Sugbo that will be held in Carcar City, southern Cebu next month will be made through a raffle, according to Cebu 5th district Provincial Board Member Andrei "Red" Duterte, chairman of the Committee on Tourism.

Duterte told SunStar Cebu that they have already have a list of schools that the contingents from the 50 municipalities and cities in the province may use.

Carcar City Mayor Patrick Barcenas had earlier declared that 23 schools had already been chosen to house the participants.

"Naa nami list sa mga schools sa Carcar. In fact dili lang sa Carcar kay dili man ma-accommodate tanan...In fact karon magbunotay na kung asa sila mo stay, para fair mag draw lots," matod ni Duterte atol sa pakighinabi sa Superbalita Cebu pinaagi sa tawag sa Hulyo 20, 2023.

(We already have a list of schools in Carcar. Since they cannot all be accommodated, it is not just in Carcar. The schools where they will stay will be raffled off, to make it fair).

However, Duterte claimed that in case there is a lack of shelter, they have also informed the neighboring towns of San Fernando and Sibonga.

Last Wednesday, July 19, Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia visited the Carcar City Sports Center to see how the venue is being prepared for the Pasigarbo sa Sugbo on August 27, 2023.

The Cebu Provincial Government plans to install additional 500 to 1,000 bleachers since it anticipated that many people would watch the event.

Currently, the Carcar City Sports Center's bleachers can only hold up to 7,000 spectators.

Among the things prepared by the provincial government is the stage and other areas that need to be fixed.

"So far sa atong pag ocular sa Carcar gamay nalang kaayo ang atong changes, very minimal nga renovation works like sa pintal naa man gu'y mga rooms sa taas nga ang mga bildo nangabuak tungod sa Odette unya i-repair," Duterte said.

(So far during our ocular inspection in Carcar, very minimal renovation works are needed like painting. There are rooms upstairs where Odette shattered the glass, and this will be fixed).

"Mag dugang mi og mga bleachers. We are looking to rent additional bleachers nga maka-accommodate og additional 500 to 1000 so maximum capcacity if ever 8,000 ang capacity," he added.

(We will add bleachers. We are looking to rent additional bleachers that can accommodate additional 500 to 1,000 people, to increase the maximum capacity to 8,000 if possible).

The provincial government also plans to meet with the police to confirm the exact number of officers who will be deployed and with the staff of Cebu Electric Cooperative to make sure that there will be enough supply of electricity throughout the event. (ANV, TPT)

The City of Taguig welcomed on Thursday Makati City's concession speech over their territorial dispute, hoping to form a "joint transition team" with the latter for a speedy and orderly transition of administration on disputed areas.

The SC ruled in May that the Maynilad and Manila Water Company Inc. are public utilities.

More than a thousand Cambodian workers have spent the last three years trying to get their full severance pay after their apparel factory closed. Nike, the global sports giant whose goods were being produced, says the factory was an unauthorized supplier.

 

Today, over 50 organizations, including Human Rights Watch, have

On June 30, Uganda's High Court ordered Frank "Kaka" Bagyenda, the former director of the Internal Security Organization (ISO), the country's domestic intelligence services, and 14 ex-security personnel to compensate Musa Nsereko 175 million Ugandan shillings (about US$47,000) for tortu

The Senate held the traditional topping-off ceremony for the P8.9 billion new Senate building located in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City on Thursday. 

THE municipal government of Tuburan, in northwest Cebu will take over the administration of a famed spring from the officials in Barangay Molobolo to further its development after it was shut down last July 5, just a few weeks after it had resumed operations following a three-year hiatus. But a dispute and a resignation are complicating things.

Tuburan Mayor Democrito “Aljun” Diamante told SunStar Cebu on Thursday, July 20, 2023 that he made the decision to take over the spring, which attracted 500-1,000 visitors daily, after the barangay officials in Molobolo failed to cooperate with the municipal government to reinforce safety measures there.

The mayor said “they are not proactive enough.”

Diamante indicated that the barangay council should work closely with the local government in order to manage the spring, which is owned by the state. However, he said this is not the case.

He said there is a disagreement between the municipal government and the owner of the property where the spring is located, which makes it more difficult for them to carry out the rehabilitation efforts.

The property owner is a relative of the officials in Barangay Molobolo.

Amputate

Last May 21, the spring was reopened to the public for the first time since its closure in early 2020 for rehabilitation. However, Diamante recently ordered its closure again after a child’s finger was amputated after being sucked into a drainage hole in the spring’s infinity pool.

The mayor said he personally shouldered the cost of the victim’s hospitalization.

Diamante disclosed that the reopening was done in response to the requests of locals to make Molobolo Spring accessible to visitors in time for the Tubod Festival, one of the highlights of the town’s 166th fiesta celebration in honor of its patron saint, San Antonio De Padua, last June 13.

He said he will hasten the rehabilitation of the spring as he plans to reopen it again before December of this year.

The mayor did not divulge how much it will cost the municipality to pursue the rehabilitative measures at the spring.

“We will hopefully reopen it to the public before the year ends, but we have to make sure that it is already safe to accommodate visitors, especially the tourists from other places,” he said.

The mayor estimated that the spring used to welcome an average of 550 visitors per day during weekdays and more than 1,000 visitors per day during weekends. The local government unit of Tuburan only asks the visitors to pay a P10 fee.

The Molobolo Spring features two large pools filled with cold spring water.

To keep the water flowing out and the water inside continually fresh and clean, there are pipes underneath these two swimming pools that lead to the sea, which the mayor estimates to be about 500 meters away.

The larger pool, intended for adults and experienced swimmers, is around seven feet deep, while the second smaller pool is for children, which is preferred by the majority of swimmers.

Uncooperative

Diamante said in order to manage the spring, the barangay council should collaborate closely with the local government, but he revealed that the barangay officials remain uncooperative.

In an interview with SunStar Cebu last July 7, Diamante said he was shocked to find no one manning the spring although numerous people were swimming there when he arrived.

He hopes that their conflict will be resolved and that the local authority will get along well with the Molobolo barangay officials.

Diamante disclosed that Barangay Captain Donna Sayson had submitted a letter of resignation to his office on July 19 with the intention of resigning from her position as the chief of Molobolo due to health issues.

According to him, the barangay captain’s state of health could be one of the reasons it was not able to completely fulfill its responsibility to watch over the spring there.

Dispute

The mayor acknowledged that there is more work to be done, especially because municipal resources are limited.

He would have welcomed the cooperation the barangay should have provided.

The other concern he will prioritize to resolve is the dispute over the privately owned land on which the spring is located, a portion of which is used as the parking area there.

He said the way heading to the spring is also owned by the same person, who is a relative of the officials in Barangay Molobolo, and that “our right of way is currently under litigation.”

He added that he has been sending letters demanding that representatives from the private party show up in meetings. However, he said he has not received any reply from them.

He remains hopeful that he can still pursue the spring’s rehabilitation.

“We really cannot do a thing about it since it is their right, but we will make a way how we can address this in a legal way so we can fully take over the spring,” said Diamante.

“We want to reopen it so that it is safe for the visitors, and also we want to move forward so that there will be no hindrances along the way once we can solely manage this,” he added.

Small effect

Diamante said the closure will not directly affect the town as it closed just weeks after it reopened from quite a long hiatus.

The spring, when operating, has the potential to produce revenue of up to P10,000 per day, the maximum amount they can take in on weekends.

Attractions

With the closure, Diamante hopes that the tourists visiting the town will make their way to the other tourist attractions that the town has to offer.

The mayor said they take pride in their other tourist spots such as the Tuburan Coffee Farm in Barangay Cogon, Blue Hole Spring in Barangay San Juan, Marmol Cliff and Atabay Peak in Barangay Marmol, the five-century-old Giant Dao Centennial Tree in Barangay Jagbuaya, and the popular Tuburan 360 View in Barangay Kabangkalan.

The Tuburan 360 View is the newest addition to the town’s tourist destinations in western Cebu. It gives the tourists a good view of the natural beauty up north and also the sight of Negros Island to the west.

According to Diamante, Tuburan 360 View welcomes an average of 650 visitors per day, adding that numbers of visitors could go as high as 1,000 tourists a day. Visitors will pay only P20 for the environmental fee.

“We still have a lot to offer to the town’s guests that are awaiting to be explored. We have a lot of beautiful springs here! Our [Tuburan] 360 View also has been bringing a lot of guests, which is beneficial for the town,” he said.

The municipality of Tuburan is 82 kilometers or 51 miles northwest of Cebu City.

The town is bordered to the north by the town of Tabuelan, to the west by the protected seascape of Tañon Strait, to the east by the towns of Carmen, Catmon and Sogod, and to the south by the town of Asturias.

THE local government unit (LGU) of Tuburan, in northwest Cebu will take over the administration of the renowned Molobolo Spring in Barangay Molobolo to enhance its development after it was shut down last July 5, 2023, just a few weeks after it had resumed operations following a three-year hiatus.

Tuburan Mayor Democrito "Aljun" Diamante told SunStar Cebu that he made the decision to close the tourist attraction after the barangay officials in Molobolo failed to improve safety measures there and claimed that "they are not proactive enough."

Last June, the spring was reopened to the public since its closure in early 2020 for rehabilitation.

However, Diamante ordered its closure again after a child's finger was amputated after being sucked by a drainage hole in the spring's infinity pool.

The mayor said that he shouldered the cost of the girl’s amputation surgery.

Diamante disclosed that the reopening was done in response to the locals' requests to make Molobolo Spring accessible to visitors in time for Tubod Festival, one of the highlights of the town's 166th fiesta celebration in honor of its patron saint, San Antonio De Padua, last June 12.

He said he will hasten the rehabilitation of the spring as he plans to reopen it again before December of this year.

"We will hopefully reopen it to the public before the year ends, but we have to make sure that it is already safe to accommodate visitors, especially the tourists from other places," he said on Thursday, July 20, 2023.

The Molobolo Spring features two large pools filled with cold spring water.

To keep the water flowing out and the water inside continually fresh and clean, there are pipes underneath these two swimming pools that lead to the sea, which the mayor estimates to be about 500 meters away.

The larger pool, intended for adults and experienced swimmers, is around 7 feet deep.

The second, smaller pool is for children, which is preferred by the majority of swimmers.(KJF, TPT)

In an interview with the Philippine News Agency, a representative of the CBCP-Episcopal Commission on Youth (CBCP-ECY) said that embassies had denied the visas of some 50 youth pilgrims due to concerns that they would become undocumented immigrants.

MANILA, July 20 (Xinhua) -- Over 3 million foreign tourists have visited the Philippines in the first half of this year, according to the Philippines' Department of Tourism (DOT) data released Wednesday night.

Philippine Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco said the Southeast Asian country recorded 3,000,079 international visitor arrivals from Jan. 1 to June 19, reflecting the "continued robust recovery" of

MANILA, July 20 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines' overall balance of payments (BOP) posted a deficit of 606 million U.S. dollars in June, lower than the 1.6-billion-dollar BOP deficit recorded a year ago, according to the Philippine central bank data released Wednesday night.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said the BOP deficit in June reflected outflows arising mainly from the national government's net foreign

The Philippine passport has climbed up by four spots in the third quarter of this year's Henley Passport Index, a global ranking that measures the most powerful passports in the world in terms of travel freedom of citizens from different countries.

TWO persons, including a barangay councilor, were arrested in a drug raid in Barangay Pitalo, San Fernando town about 9 p.m. on Wednesday, July 20.

Police Major Mark Anthony Villanueva, the chief of San Fernando Police Station, led the anti-illegal drug operation that resulted in the arrest of Dennis Caballero, of legal age, and Isabelo Umpad Diolan, 47, barangay councilor of Sangat, San Fernando.

The suspects yielded eight sachets of suspected shabu.

Villanueva said that they did not expect Diolan to be a part of the arrest. (BBT, TPT)

(New York) - Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines face bias-motivated violence and discrimination in their daily life, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The authorities should repeal the country's colonial-era laws that criminalize consensual same-sex conduct and pass comprehens

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Wednesday announced its partnership with Social Security System (SSS) for the latter's adoption of the national ID in social security services to expand operations in the digital economy.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology raised on June 8 the status of Mayon Volcano in Albay to Alert Level 3 after it showed an “increased tendency towards a hazardous eruption.”