Eye Opener

Nagbanta si Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte na magkakagiyera kapag may nangahas na mangisda sa Philippine Rise. Sa kanyang talum­pati sa turn-over ng mga pabahay sa Brgy. Mipaga, Marawi City, sinabi ng Pangulo na tiyak na sisiklab ang giyera kapag may nagsagawa ng pana­naliksik o ano mang uri ng aktibidad sa Philippine Rise na walang pahintulot mula sa gobyerno. Iginiit ni Pangulong Duterte na pag-aari ng Pilipinas ang Philippine Rise kaya’t walang sinoman na maaaring ma­ngisda sa lugar. Nagpadala na aniya ang pamahalaan ng isang batalyon ng Philippine Marines sa lugar para bantayan ang teritoryo. “Dito sa eastern side Philippine Rise, ‘yan atin talaga ‘yan. May pinadala na ako doon na Marines, isang batalyon. Sinabi ko talaga, walang mag-e-experiment hangga’t walang permiso galing sa akin but the Armed For­ces will have to recommend it. Otherwise, no, I will not allow fishing, I will not – magkagiyera tayo,” anang Pangulo. Filipino scientists were only on board the Chinese re...

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) on Friday filed a ₱1.05 million tax evasion case against Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) Secretary General Renato Reyes Jr., for failing to pay his personal income taxes since 2009. BIR legal counsel Atty. Brigido Loyola said Reyes’ failed to file income tax returns especially last year where he made more than ₱5.7 million from three major rallies, including the 2016 Asean Summit where he reportedly earned ₱2.5 million according to court records. Reyes, a career activist, has denied many times earlier that he is not earning a dime from organizing protests and all of his works are in voluntary basis. But Loyola said Reyes family expenses are more than his wife’s salary – who is physician working in a public hospital. From 2009 to 2014, Reyes reportedly filed tax exemptions despite already making decent amount from different protests. “We cannot exempt an individual who is earming at least ₱1.5 million a year,” Loyola said. Tax evasio...

Pinahahanapan na ng kapalit ng isang kongresista kay Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte sina National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba at Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) officer-in-charge Undersecretary Eliseo Rio Jr. Iginiit ito ni ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro dahil mistula umanong balakid ang dalawang opisyal sa pagpasok ng third telecom player para sa hangarin ng Pangulo na mapabilis ang internet sa bansa. Sabi pa niya, Imbes na mapabilis ang pagpasok ng bagong telco ay kung ano-ano pa aniya ang hinihirit nina Cordoba at Rio kahit nag­labas na ng direktiba si Pangulong Duterte na apurahin na ang pagpasok ng pangatlong telco at pinagdiinan pa na wala na dapat humarang pa dito. Noong 2009 pa nakapuwesto si Cordoba sa NTC matapos itong italaga ng dating pangulo at ngayo’y Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Ina­prubahan naman ni Pa­ngulong Duterte ang re-appointment ni Cordoba bilang NTC chief noong Huly...

Deretsahang ibinunyag ni Citizens Battle Against Corruption (CIBAC) Party-list Rep. Sherwin Tugna na tumiba nang palihim ang Venezuelan election technology supplier na Smartmatic-Total Information Management Corp. matapos bayaran ng Commission on Elections (Comelec) ng halagang P2.2 bilyon noong Disyembre 2017 para mabili ang mahigit P97,000 vote counting machines (VCMs) na ginamit noong 2016 presidential polls. “Medyo nakakagulat na binayaran na pala nila. Kumbaga, (noong nakaraang) Pasko nagbayaran kung kailan tahimik ang lahat,” pahayag ni Rep.Tugna sa isang panayam sa radyo kahapon. Nasorpresa umano si Tugna kung bakit kamakailan lamang binili ang VCMs gayung puwede namang bilhin na ito noong ginamit para sa 2016 presidential polls. Binanggit ni Rep.Tugna na si dating Comelec Commissioner Christian Robert Lim ang nagbigay ng naturang impormasyon sa kanya sa oversight panel tungkol sa pagbebenta ng VCMs ng Smartmatic na siyang nagmando rin sa tinatawag na Precinct Count Opti...

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV on Sunday said he will file a resolution on seeking a Senate probe into alleged bank records of Pres. Rodrigo Duterte and members of his family. “With this resolution, I am accepting Pres. Duterte’s challenge to investigate his alleged ill-gotten wealth to once and for all reveal the truth on this issue. The public wants to know the truth and it’s in the hands of the Senate to uncover it,” Trillanes said. Trillanes said he will file the resolution on Monday. Before he left for India last January 24, Pres. Duterte said he was willing to let Congress probe his alleged wealth as he wants to put an end to the issue. Trillanes said Duterte "must address this issue squarely once and for all." "If he has nothing to hide, he should bare it all and sign the waiver. On the contrary, he has been dilly-dallying in his statements, and instead has been bluffing the people by publicly ordering AMLC (Anti-Money Laundering Council) to investigate hi...