The Standard - 2016 July 26 - Tuesday

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Alvarez, Pimentel hold sway

VOL. XXX • NO. 164 • 4 SECTIONS 20 PAGES • P18 • TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2016 • WWW.THESTANDARD.COM.PH • EDITORIAL@THESTANDARD.COM.PH

THE 17th Congress formally opened on Monday, with Senator Aquilino Pimentel III assuming his post as Senate president and Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez taking the position of speaker of the House. Pimentel said fairness would be the guiding principle in the implementation of the program of gov-

ernment for change that the majority of the senators had agreed upon. The introduction of genuine and meaningful change, he said, was the purpose of the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte. On the other hand, Alvarez urged his fellow lawmakers to Next page

101-PERCENT CLEAN GOVERNMENT. President Rodrigo Duterte appeals to lawmakers to help him deliver a government that is 101 percent free of corruption during his State of the Nation Address at the opening of the 17th Congress of the Philippines to be led by Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III and Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez. Lino Santos

Duterte declares truce with Reds 1st Sona: ‘Pragmatic, from heart’ By Christine F. Herrera

A POLITICAL analyst on Monday said President Rodrigo Duterte’s first State of the Nation address was “from the heart [and] pragmatic” but spoke of “sincerity of policy and action” that could bring about change without raising taxes. Ramon Casiple, executive director of Institutional for Electoral Reforms, said Duterte showed that he knew his limits when he cited the need to protect the environment, while acknowledging the need for mining to bring about growth. Next page

By John Paolo Bencito and Florante S. Solmerin

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RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Monday used his first State of the Nation Address to declare a unilateral ceasefire with communist rebels.

Shortly after the address, the National Democratic Front vowed to reciprocate as they return to the negotiating table in Oslo, Norway in August. “To the CPP/NPA/NDF, let us end these decades of ambuscades and skirmishes. We are going nowhere. And it is getting bloodier by the day,” Duterte said. “To immediately stop violence on the ground, restore peace in the communities and provide an enabling environment conducive to the resumption of the peace talks, I am now announcing a unilateral ceasefire with the CPP/NPA/NDF effective immediately and call on our fellow Filipinos in the National Democratic Front and its forces to respond accordingly.” Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Ma. Sison welcomed the President’s initiative. “I welcome President Duterte’s announcement of unilateral ceasefire of the AFP and PNP in relation to the NPA. Within the hour, the NDFP will issue a positive response. We share with President Duterte Next page

Three former presidents cited, Noynoy no-show AS PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte acknowledged the presence of three former presidents, he paused and looked for the fourth, his predecessor former President Benigno Aquino III, and found him a no- show and so made it clear at the start of his speech that “vindictiveness is not in my system.” “We cannot move forward if we allow the past to pull us back,” Duterte said during his first State of the Nation Address as the joint session of Congress opened Monday. “Finger-pointing is not the way. That is why I will not waste precious time dwelling on the sins of the past or blaming those

who are perceived to be responsible for the mess that we are in and suffering from. “Except maybe extract a lesson or two from their errors, we will not tarry because it is the present that we are concerned with and the future that we should be prepared for. “I wish to assure everyone, though, that vindictiveness is not in my system. Just like you and I, all, equal treatment and equal protection are what I ask for our people.” Duterte made his statement even as Davao City Mayor Inday Sara Duterte failed to attend the first Stateof-the-Nation Address of her father, citing medical reasons. Next page

Clash looms Asean faces security over RH law challenge over sea row By John Paolo Bencito and Vito Barcelo

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Monday vowed the full implementation of the Reproductive Health Law, setting him on a collision course with the Catholic Church, which has consistently opposed family planning. In his first State of the Nation Address on Monday, Duterte said it was high time for the government to give priority to promoting responsible parenthood and reproductive health, which can help the government to reduce poverty. Next page

VIENTIANE, Laos—Vietnam has warned that the inability of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to forge a unified front against Beijing’s militarization of the South China Sea is a “test” of the regional bloc in the face of its greatest security challenge. The unusually strong comments from a key claimant to the contested waters, came as diplomats met in Laos for the first summit since a UN-backed tribunal debunked Beijing’s legal claim to vast stretches of the strategically vital sea. After talks stuttered on Sunday, Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a late night twitter.com/ MlaStandard

statement warning that the South China Sea had become “a test case for the unity and the central role of Asean.” “Many ministers stressed that in this context, Asean should promote solidarity, unity and a central role,” the statement added. Diplomats met for a new round of crunch talks called for by Laos on Monday morning, but avoided rebuking Beijing or mentioning the UN tribunal’s decision against China. The Asean instead repeated it was “seriously concerned” by “land reclamations and escalation of activities” and merely called for self-restraint in the strategic waterway. Next page

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Tax cuts in offing By Gabrielle Binaday and Othel V. Campos PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Monday said he will pursue a tax reform program that will include the lowering of corporate and income tax rates in the country. “My administration will pursue tax reform towards a simpler and more equitable and more efficient tax system that can foster investment and job creation,” Duterte said in his first State of the Nation Address. “We will lower personal and corporate income tax rates and relax the Bank Secrecy Law,” he added. Tax Management Association of the Philippines (TMAP) president Benedict Tugonon lauded the President’s announcement, saying that a tax reform program was long overdue. “We are very pleased to hear the statement of the President and this is what tax payers have been waiting for a very long time—a mandate from the President to Congress to push tax reform, particularly towards the simpler and more equitable,” Tugonon said. Next page

PRESIDENTS’ ROW. Three former

presidents of the republic–Fidel Ramos (1992-1998), Joseph Estrada (1998-2001) and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (2001-2010)– complete the cast of national leaders at the Batasang Pambansa during the State of the Nation Address of President Rodrigo Duterte Monday. Revoli Cortez

Metro crime rate down, top cop brags THE crime rate in Metro Manila went down during the period July 1 to 19, the National Capital Region Police Office said Monday. Metro Manila Police Chief Oscar Albayalde said street crime went down significantly during the peri-

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od―especially crime against property―compared with the data recorded on the first semester of 2016. “We are seeing a remarkable reduction of street crime particularly crime against property regionwide,” Albayalde said.

He said the number of robbery cases in Metro Manila went down from 85 to 59 incidents, theft from 176 to 113 cases, car theft from 8 to 0 cases, motorcycle theft from 29 to 10 cases, and physical injuries from 97 to 72 cases. Next page

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