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 NATIONAL NEWS Comelec audit reports 99.9% accuracy of May 9 polls

MANILA The Commission on Elections (Comelec) achieved a nearly 100 percent accuracy score after its andom Manual Audit ( MA) of the May 9 elections.

Commissioner Aimee Ferolino, in charge of the MA Committee, said they started last month and fi nished ahead of schedule.

“ n behalf of the entire andom Manual Audit Committee, including the civil society organi ations, Philippine Statistics Authority, and your Commission, as well as the teachers who served as MA teams, I am happy to report that we fi nished ahead of schedule and that our accuracy rate as of 4 p.m. yesterday (Sunday) stands at 99.9 92 ,” she said in a statement. “The law gives us a maximum of 4 days to fi nish the audit, but with the dedication and cooperation of all parties involved, it too us only 34 days. e fi nished early and we fi nished strong,” Ferolino added. n May 10, Comelec randomly selected at least one clustered precinct per legislative district for MA, with clustered precincts representing one ballot box each.

The activity was publicly held at the National Board of Canvassers at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City, pursuant to the law and Comelec rules.

“ ut of , a total of 4 ballot boxes were audited. Some ballot boxes were no longer subjected to audit, while 2 are still subject to further verifi cation of the Technological Evaluation Committee for the following reasons mislabeled ballot boxes, with wet/torn ballots, and no printed and online elections returns” she said.

Ferolino ac nowledged the public and sta eholders for the success of the MA.

“To every single person involved in the audit, from the teachers to the verifi ers to the supervisors and security personnel, who spent long days and late nights, allow me to convey my sincerest than s and congratulations to all of you,” Ferolino said.

“To the Filipino electorate, it is my hope that we were able to successfully carry out the principal objective of the random manual audit as mandated by law, which is to verify whether the vote-counting machines used in the May 9, 2022 elections read and counted your sacred votes accurately,” she added.

25 bills lapse into law

MANILA - Twenty fi ve bills, among them provide additional benefi ts to solo parents, have lapsed into law after President Duterte too no action on them. nder the law, a bill will lapse into law if the President fails to act on it within 30 days after receiving the bill and will ta e eff ect 1 days after being published in a major publication.

Among the measures was A 11 1 or the Expanded Solo Parents elfare Act, which aims to provide additional benefi ts to solo parents, which lapsed into law last June 4. nder the law, a P1,000 monthly cash subsidy will be given to solo parents who are earning minimum wage, a 10 percent discount will be given on certain medicines for low-income solo parents with children aged six years and below, they will be given priority in low-cost housing, and Phil ealth coverage.

Solo parents will also be given livelihood trainings, reintegration programs for verseas Filipino or ers, employment information, and other pro-poor initiatives that they will receive until their children turn 22 years old.

Despite the President s inaction on some measures, Duterte has signed into law A 11 2 which amended the Anti-Traffi c ing in Persons Act of 2003 and strengthened its policies to cope with the times.

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stead, ad interim S Charge d Aff aires eather Variava will be present in his stead.

The S, will, however, send a large contingent to the event including ep. Bobby Scott, chairman of the ouse Committee on Education and Labor former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff et. Admiral James innefeld Jr. S National Security Council Senior Director for East Asia and ceania Edgar agan (also a Special Assistant to the President) ffi ce of Management and Budget Deputy Director Nani Coloretti and S Director of the Asian Development Ban Chantale Bonta...

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Diplomatic circles were abu at the apparent snub of the inauguration mar ing the peaceful change of government, from odrigo Duterte to the son and namesa e of the dictator who was ousted in a popular revolt in 19 .

Duterte, who was elected in 201 , began his term on a less-than-friendly note with the S, announcing his administration s pivoting away from the Philippines oldest ally in favor of China. pon his election, Marcos Jr. said he was li ely to follow the same direction as Duterte, with an “independent foreign policy.” e had also made it clear that he would retain the same friendly relations with China as his predecessor.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said ang is attending the event as a “special representative” of President i Jinping.

Marcos s interactions with S offi cials have been sparse, with Deputy Secretary of State endy Sherman the most senior offi cial to meet with the president-elect earlier this month.

She answered a touchy subject of whether Marcos could visit the S, considering that he is facing charges in court. She said that the new president was entitled to diplomatic immunity while president, and could therefore visit the S in an offi cial capacity anytime.

The report also indicated that hate crimes involving a sexual orientation bias also increased signifi cantly, rising 4 . from 2020 to 2021.

Amidst this surge in reported hate crime events, Attorney eneral Bonta urged local partners and law enforcement to review the resources highlighted and to recommit themselves to ta ing action.

“ e continue to convene law enforcement, elected leaders, and community organi ations at the local level across the state to help increase awareness around available resources and strengthen responses to hate crime in California,” said Bonta as he announced the creation of a statewide hate crime coordinator position within the California Department of Justice s Criminal Law Division in order to further assist state and local law enforcement efforts to combat hate crime.

“Today s report undeniably shows that the epidemic of hate we saw spurred on during the pandemic remains a clear and present threat,” said Attorney eneral Bonta. “In fact, reported hate crime has reached a level we haven t seen in California since the aftermath of the terrorist attac s of September 11.”

“ As our state s top law enforcement offi cer, I will continue to use the full authority of my offi ce to fi ght bac ,” Bonta said. “ e will eep wor ing with our local law enforcement partners and community organi ations to ma e sure every Californian feels seen, heard, and protected. hile there is no single solution, it s up to all of us to heed the call, because when our communities feel empowered, they come forward. Now, more than ever, it is critical that we stand united there is no place for hate in California.”

The California Department of Justice has collected and reported statewide data on hate crimes since 199 . nder California law, a hate crime is a criminal act committed in whole or in part because of a victim s actual or perceived disability, gender, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or association with someone with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics. ate crimes are distinct from hate incidents, which are actions or behaviors motivated by hate that may be protected by the First Amendment right to freedom of expression.

Examples of hate incidents include name-calling, insults, and distributing hate material in public places. If a hate incident starts to threaten a person or property, it may become a hate crime. istorically, hate crime data has generally been underreported and the California Department of Justice recogni es that the data presented in its reports may not ade uately refl ect the actual number of hate crime events that have occurred in the state.

The total number of hate crime events reported in 2021 is the sixth highest ever recorded and the highest since hate crime events s yroc eted in 2001 in the aftermath of the terrorist attac s of September 11.

Some of the ey fi ndings from the 2021 ate Crime in California eport include verall, reported hate crime events increased 32. from 1,330 in 2020 to 1, 3 in 2021

Anti-Blac bias events were the most prevalent, increasing 12. from 4 in 2020 to 13 in 2021 ate crime events motivated by a sexual orientation bias increased 4 . from 20 in 2020 to 303 in 2021

Anti-Asian bias events increased 1 . from 9 in 2020 to 24 in 2021

Anti- ispanic or Latino bias events increased 29. from 1 2 in 2020 to 19 in 2021

Among hate crime events involving a religious bias, anti-Jewish bias events were the most prevalent and increased 32.2 from 11 in 2020 to 1 2 in in 2021 and

From 2020 to 2021, the number of cases fi led for prosecution by district attorneys and elected city attorneys involving hate crime charges increased by 30.1 .