Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) on Tuesday denied claims circulating on social media that it was implementing a ‘one-week duty, two-weeks off’ work arrangement for police officers.

In a statement, the NCRPO said the claim originated from a Facebook post supposedly showing an altered image of newly installed officer in charge Brig. Gen. Christopher Abrahano.

‘These reports are entirely false and do not reflect any officially implemented policy,’ the regional police said.

‘Existing programs and policies concerning personnel welfare and work arrangements remain fully in place,’ it added.

The NCRPO also assured the public that the proper police deployment and prompt incident response throughout Metro Manila remained in place.

It also reminded the public and its personnel to refer to official NCRPO channels for accurate announcements and reject unverified claims.

Abrahano was appointed NCRPO officer in charge last Sunday, replacing Maj. Gen. Anthony Aberin, who reached the mandatory retirement age of 56.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has recommended the filing of criminal charges against the owner of one of the guns used in the June Tacloban school shooting that killed three people, Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida said on Monday.

At a congressional budget hearing, Vida said a Tacloban prosecution office on Monday found probable cause to charge the gun owner with criminal negligence. He did not disclose the gun owner’s name.

Two students, aged 14 and 15, opened fire at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City on June 22, killing three and injuring 20 others. Authorities believe the students’ actions were motivated by a grudge over alleged bullying.

The 14-year-old suspect allegedly used a 9mm pistol registered to his aunt, a policewoman, while the 15-year-old suspect allegedly used a .38-caliber revolver registered to a Cebu-based security agency.

Vida said authorities ‘are seeing a pattern’ in the spate of school violence that has rocked the Philippines in recent months. Last week, a student also opened fire at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University campus, killing another student before he shot himself.

The justice chief said ‘groomers’ target children playing online games and lure them into chat rooms where violence is amplified and encouraged.

Drills postponed

Meanwhile, the Nationwide Simultaneous School Safety Drill for Active Attack Incidents initially scheduled for Tuesday has been postponed, according to the Department of Education (DepEd), to ensure alignment with the guidance of psychosocial support experts.

‘We are deferring temporarily to incorporate new suggestions,’ Education Secretary Sonny Angara told the Inquirer on Monday.

In an advisory, DepEd announced that the activity will be moved to the first week of September.

On Saturday, the Philippine Psychiatric Association and Philippine Society for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry urged the deferment of the shooting drills, citing studies that show the drills can ‘expose learners to hyper-realistic scenarios of violence,’ causing possible psychological issues.

In a statement released on Monday, the Philippine Pediatric Society also said evidence on children’s participation in active-attack and lockdown drills remains ‘limited’ or ‘mixed.’

Returned to family

Following the concerns raised by health experts on the shooting drills, the Philippine National Police said it was ‘willing and always ready to participate in any consultation with all groups concerned.’

PNP public information chief Col. Allen Rae Co also reported in a press briefing at Camp Crame on Monday that the Cebu junior high school student allegedly caught with a gun inside his bag while in school has been returned to his family.

The student, who initially said the gun was his grandfather’s, was first turned over to local social workers for intervention under Republic Act No. 9344 or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act.

But ‘due to the lack of personnel there to handle the case, as well as a proper facility for it, he was returned to his family,’ Co said.

The Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in Manila has offered to accommodate patients from the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) in Quezon City as the latter reaches full bed capacity amid a surge in leptospirosis cases.

Palace press officer Claire Castro on Tuesday said the PGH, which is operated by the University of the Philippines (UP), to receive non-leptospirosis patients from NKTI.

This would allow NKTI as a government-run speciality center to focus its capacity on leptospirosis patients requiring specialized renal care.

‘This reflects our institutions’ longstanding partnership and shared commitment to timely, appropriate care for every patient-regardless of which facility they first approach,’ the PGH said in a statement.

On Sunday, the NKTI announced that walk-in admissions will be subject to limitations ‘until further notice’ to prioritize patients requiring emergency care and admission due to the surge in leptospirosis cases and high patient volume in its emergency room.

The NKTI’s emergency room can only accommodate up to 64 patients at a time.

Patients requiring urgent and critical medical interventions will be prioritized.

It also advised patients seeking elective or non-emergency admission to coordinate with their attending physician and consider other healthcare facilities with available bed capacity to avoid prolonged waiting times.

To prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed by a surge of leptospirosis cases, the Department of Health (DOH) said all hospitals facing bed capacity concerns can coordinate with the Health Emergency Management Bureau’s Operation Center for patient navigation.

At least 33 DOH hospitals in the National Capital Region, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon and Cordillera Administrative Region have also established express lanes to specifically handle cases of leptospirosis.

As of Aug. 22, the DOH has recorded a total of 4,285 cases of leptospirosis across the country, up from the 3,440 cases recorded as of Aug. 8.

‘Further increase in leptospirosis cases is expected, especially given that leptospirosis has an incubation period of five to 15 days,’ the agency warned.

The DOH urged the public to observe key health precautions against leptospirosis, urging individuals to avoid unnecessary contact with floodwater, especially if they have open wounds.

If flood exposure is unavoidable, the hospital advised taking doxycycline prophylaxis as recommended by a primary care physician.

Free doxycycline capsules are provided by local government units through barangays, Rural Health Units, or through the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation’s Yaman ng Kalusugan Program

Authorities also urged the public to seek immediate medical consultation should symptoms such as fever, muscle pain, or headache develop following exposure to floodwaters.

Smilegate announced on Wednesday the 26th that it will carry out the first world merge for its MMORPG ?LORDNINE? (developed by NX3GAMES) and hold Gear Restoration and Trading Post fee reduction events to commemorate the occasion.

Smilegate will merge the four servers Horatio, Yvonne, Douglas, and Santiago into the Musha server, while the two servers Medea and Ricardo will be merged into the Remus server. Players can now encounter more users on a single server, creating a more competitive environment and offering a wider variety of cooperative content. The new Sven and Helena servers are excluded from this world merge.

Smilegate is holding various events to commemorate the world merge. First, through August 31, a commemorative coupon for the limited-edition Homun Rider mount will be distributed via the official social media channels and the official YouTube update preview video. Following the world merge, a series of in-game events will be held, offering various rewards including an ‘Epic Avatar Guaranteed Summon Ticket.’

The first-ever Gear Restoration Event will also run through September 9. During the event period, players can restore gear that was destroyed while attempting to enhance it. Players can request restoration for Epic and Legendary weapons destroyed at +7 enhancement or higher and armor destroyed at +5 enhancement or higher. Restored gear can be claimed from September 9 until maintenance on September 30.

The Trading Fee Reduction Event will also run through September 9. Accordingly, World Trade fees will be reduced from 13% to 10%, while Personal Trade fees will be reduced from 15% to 10%.

The police freed an 18-year-old woman from the clutches of her father, a 55-year-old laborer, who took her hostage at their home in Bugallon, Pangasinan on Monday afternoon, Aug. 24.

The suspect was armed with a bolo, said Police Col. Dennis de Leon, officer in charge of the Pangasinan Police Office.

‘In the course of the negotiation, the suspect eventually threw the bolo outside (of the house), thereby temporarily reducing the immediate threat. However, the suspect subsequently exhibited aggressive behavior and physically hurt his daughter,’ the police reported.

A team composed of de Leon, Police Maj. Rodolfo Labayo Jr., officer in charge of the Bugallon police, and the SWAT team led by Police Capt. John Ramos implemented an operational plan to safely restrain the suspect and rescue the victim.

The father was taken into police custody. His wife told police that he had been experiencing emotional distress following the deaths of their two sons in 2004 and 2018.

‘The suspect reportedly believed that someone had poisoned his sons, which allegedly caused him to become increasingly distressed and suspicious,’ the police said.

The wife said the suspect had also hurt her and her three other children and held them hostage until she found a way to escape with her children. However, the 18-year-old woman was unable to get out, prompting responding police officers to take immediate action to ensure her safety

Suspected illegal drugs worth an estimated P36.1 million were discovered and seized at a mail hub in Pasay City, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said on Tuesday.

In a statement, the PNP said that law enforcers flagged the packages with the contraband at the Central Mail Exchange Center along Domestic Road on Monday.

‘The items were discovered through cargo x-ray screening and manual inspection by BOC (Bureau of Customs) personnel, complemented by K-9 inspection conducted by PDEA (Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency),’ the PNP said.

‘The shipments were reportedly consigned and sent by different individuals whose identities and addresses are contained in the seized evidence,’ it added.

It noted that the packages contained 5.282 kilograms (kg) of suspected marijuana kush; 2.838 kg of suspected ecstasy; 1.064 kg of suspected shabu (crystal meth); 511 g of suspected ketamine; and 3,756 suspected ecstasy tablets.

According to the PNP, the confiscated illegal drugs were turned over to the PDEA for proper disposition and further investigation

About 100 tourists and local travelers were scheduled to fly out from the island province of Batanes on Tuesday on board a mercy flight arranged by the Philippine Air Force when it was postponed due to high winds.

Occupants of the PAF C-130 plane l, who were stranded in Batanes for days, were sent back to their lodging places because gusty winds and rain exceeded standard safety limits for planes, according to the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO).

The southwest monsoon and typhoons dumped more than two weeks of rain, resulting in the cancellation of commercial and government-chartered flights to Batanes.

Air Force officials told disaster responders that pilots adhere to the rules to ensure safe flights.

PDRRMO officials said C-130 seats allotted for the tourists and residents would still be honored once good weather allows flights to resume.

The provincial government earlier asked for mercy flights to bring home stranded island guests who are under the care of the Provincial Heritage and Tourism Office (PHTO).

The Batanes provincial government continues to provide relief goods, household kits and lodging amenities to the stranded tourists and visitors.

The provincial government has also been distributing maintenance medicines, first aid support, and medical monitoring to people in need

In a bid to enhance campus security, the Department of Education (DepEd) on Tuesday, Aug. 25, presented a campus security guard and mobile patrol strategy for public schools nationwide.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara has presented a hybrid campus security model that seeks to enhance surveillance despite the shortages in security guards in public schools in the country through a strategic patrolling assignment based on ‘campus size and needs.’

The initiative is in partnership with the local government units and the Philippine National Police, under the Department of Interior and Local Government Memorandum Circular No. 2026-037 on Safer School Zones.

‘Under the proposed framework, DepEd will prioritize assigning security guards to high-density campuses while leveraging community support for smaller schools,’ the DepEd said in a statement.

Based on the proposed model, during arrival and dismissal hours, campuses with less than 500 students and 1,000 students are provided one security guard supported by local barangay watchmen and volunteers from the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) assistance team.

Meanwhile, campuses classified as large with 3,300 learners are assigned two security guards, also assisted by the barangay tanod and the PTA volunteers.

Campuses with more than 8,000 learners are proposed to be allocated four security guards, alongside Philippine National Police mobile patrols and local security officers.

The barangay tanods are assigned to be the first line of defense for perimeter controls in campuses, while the PTA assistance teams will assist in crowd and traffic control, according to the DepEd.

‘Through our hybrid security model, we partner with our communities and other stakeholders to ensure a safe and orderly environment for every school,’ Angara said.

The move comes amid mounting concerns on campus security following the shooting incident at a private school in Zamboanga involving a junior high school student, who was able to bring a firearm inside the premises.

The agency said it is set to conduct two phases, starting with schools classified with large populations, before proceeding in small and medium schools.

‘To reinforce physical security without relying on additional manpower, the Department is also prioritizing investments in surveillance infrastructure including closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, upgraded area lighting, access control systems and scanners,’ it added. /

Vice President Sara Duterte was aware and authorized all the processes and activities in relation to her office’s confidential funds (CFs) worth P500 million in total, Duterte’s assistant chief of staff Lemuel Ortonio testified on Tuesday.

The movements cover the last quarter of 2022 to the third quarter of 2023.

The testimony was given after prosecution counsel Mae Divinagracia asked Ortonio whether or not Duterte is the ‘mastermind’ or ‘architect’ of the Office of the Vice President’s alleged misuse of confidential funds.

‘You will agree with me that this whole confidential funds matter, ang arkitekto at mastermind nito ay si Sara Duterte?’ Divinagracia said.

(You will agree with me that this whole confidential funds matter, the architect and mastermind of it is Sara Duterte?)

The question was opposed by the defense, and was stricken off the record, but when Divinagracia attempted to rephrase, she argued harder on the use of the word ‘architect’ in characterizing the vice president.

Senate impeachment court presiding officer Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero, at this point, asked Ortonio himself:

‘Lahat ng bagay kaugnay ng confidential fund, mula sa pagrequest, sa pagrelease, sa pagencash, sa paggastos, sa pagliquidate, sa pagsagot sa mga AOMs, notice of suspension, at notice of disallowance ay una, nalalaman ng ikalawang pangulo; pangalawa, inawtorisa niya base sa mga pirma niya sa iba’t ibang mga dokyumento; at pangatlo, ay nasa ilalim ng kaniyang superbisyon bilang head of agency?’

(Everything related to the confidential fund, from requesting, to releasing, to encashing, to spending, to liquidating, to responding to AOMs, notices of suspension, and notices of disallowance, is first, known to the second president; second, authorized by him based on his signatures on various documents; and third, is under his supervision as head of agency?)

‘Based on my understanding and based on what I know – yes. The vice president knows about the confidential activities and how it is being implemented,’ Ortonio answered.

Escudero continued: ‘May ginawa ka ba na hindi alam o hindi in-authorize ni Vice President Sara kaugnay sa confidential funds, kasabay na ang pagsagot mo sa AOMS, notice of suspension, at notice of disallowance?’

(Did you do anything that Vice President Sara did not know about or did not authorize in relation to confidential funds, at the same time as you responded to the AOMS, notice of suspension, and notice of disallowance?)

‘None, Your Honor,’ Ortonio replied.

Escudero then asked, ‘Lahat alam nya at inauthorize niya?’

(She knows everything and she authorized it?)

To this, Ortonio responded in the affirmative.

During Divinagracia’s direct examination, Ortonio testified to drafting the OVP’s request for CFs from the Department of Budget and Management, signing the disbursement vouchers, encashing the P125 million funds per quarter, and preparing a reply to the Commission on Audit’s AOM.

All of these actions, Ortonio testified, were under the orders of Duterte herself.

The witness also identified the vice president’s signatures in authorizing and certifying all other documents and requirements needed to process CFs. /

Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla on Tuesday downplayed the testimonies of the 25 individuals who introduced themselves as former bodyguards of resigned Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co.

The men were cited in an affidavit of former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

Last week, Romualdez submitted a supplemental counter affidavit to answer the complaint against him by the Ombudsman for plunder, graft, indirect and direct bribery, and money laundering.

In this document, Romualdez mentioned the testimonies of 25 of Co’s aides.

He said some of the aides were identified by the 18 bodyguards who were with them when they made the alleged deliveries of suitcases containing cash to the former House speaker.

Several of the 25 security aides denied their involvement in the delivery, contrary to the previous claims.

Asked to react to these new testimonies, Remulla said in an interview at the House of Representatives: ‘I don’t think it affects us.’

‘They are trying to make their publicity to make people doubt we have a strong case,’ he said. ‘We have a strong case.’

Ombudsman investigators accused Romualdez and Co of alleged ‘concerted and coordinated acts’ in ‘unlawfully amassing, accumulating and acquiring ill-gotten wealth’ amounting to approximately P56 billion from 2022 to 2025.

Some of these funds were purportedly delivered by the bodyguards through suitcases.

Investigators based their evidence on the testimonies of some of the 18 bodyguards, four of which have recanted their allegations.

Remulla, however, said ‘we are not reliant on those witnesses recanting their testimonies.’

‘The case does not rise and fall with those guards or the people who brought the money. We still have other evidence. We can still prove that,’ he said. /