THE PHILIPPINES’ FORUM FOR INTERNATIONAL READERS SINCE 1981
March 12-25, 2017 Vol. XXXV No. 8
www.expatphilippines.ph
Newspaper
Balbon, a canine tourist guide in Palaui Island, stares into the stunning panorama of Cape Engaño in Sta. Ana Cagayan. The gorgeous island just off the tip of the northern tip of Luzon, rewards the adventurous souls who brave the 15-hour trip from Manila with breathtaking 360-degree views. Photo by Martin San Diego courtesy of the Northern Philippines Visitors Bureau
Losing the concept of irony By TIMOTHY JAY IBAY
T
he House of Representatives passing a measure to revive the death penalty, a one-and-done Senate hearing on murderous allegations against President Rodrigo Duterte, and yet another threat to declare martial law filled news pages over the past two weeks. And as the measure to restore capital punishment makes its way to the Senate, there will be more discussions about the administration’s curious “priority bill.” But in case you didn’t notice, after seven months of being a fixture on front pages and news tickers, the name of Sen. Leila de Lima and her constant cries against the violation of human rights have been relatively silent, at least for the meanwhile.
Flair for the ironic As a refresher, De Lima was arrested following a five-month investigation of her alleged links to drug lords detained in the New Bilibid Prison. As noted by Rappler, on Feb. 17, the Senator was charged in court for violating Section 5 of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 – which penalizes the “sale, trading, administration, dispensation, delivery, distribution and transportation of illegal drugs.” When the warrant of arrest was issued against De Lima, Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella called it “a fulfillment of the campaign promise of Duterte to rid the Philippine society of drugs, crime and corruption,” adding that the arrest of an incumbent
Senator was proof of the President’s strong resolve to rid the country of the “drug menace.” As part of the process, and a blatant display of the administration’s flair for the ironic, the Department of Justice (DOJ) dropped drug trade charges against five high-profile inmates of the national penitentiary because according to Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, “they will be utilized as prosecution witnesses.” Among those five inmates that had charges dismissed against them were Herbert Colanggo and Peter Co. As noted by Rappler, last July, Duterte warned Co to “never try to go out of prison, page 5 you will die.” He also referred
Phl, US partner to conserve wildlife and biodiversity
T
he U.S. government, through the US Embassy in the Philippines’ United States Agency for International Development (USAID), partnered recently with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to launch a new biodiversity conservation project that will help protect and manage the Philippines’ diverse habitats and species. On the heels of World Wildlife Day on Mar. 3, US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Y. Kim joined DENR Secretary Gina Lopez to inaugurate the five-year, PhP1.2billion project called Protect Wildlife. The project is designed to address biodiversity loss and illegal wildlife trade in some of the most vibrant and vulnerable ecosystems in the Philippines. “Natural resources and biodiversity play an important part in the Philippines’ economy. This is why the US govpage 5 ernment, through USAID, has