MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) is monitoring a formation of cloud clusters outside the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) that could develop into the country’s first tropical cyclone t his year.
The cloud cluster, monitored east of Mindanao, could develop into a low-pressure area between today and the weekend.
PAGASA said it could develop into a tropical depression while it treads toward PAR, after which it would be named Aghon.
The cloud cluster will slowly make its way toward the Philippine landmass and could enter PAR on Monday or Tuesday as it heads northeast over the eastern side of the country.
The intertropical convergence zone, which encompasses the cloud cluster, could bring rains over parts of the country next week.
The trough of the possible low-pressure area could also bring rains over Caraga region, Eastern Visayas and Bicol by next week.
MANILA, Philippines — Pharmaceutical firm Bell-Kenz Pharma Inc. is turning the tables on those who accused the company of engaging in a “prescription for sale” scheme.
The firm’s legal counsels are preparing to file criminal charges against persons who have maligned the company’s name on social media, Bell-Kenz spokesperson Dez Perlez said yesterday.
“We are preparing criminal actions against those posting online malicious accusations against Bell-Kenz and the doctors. (Those are) malicious and baseless accusations,” Perlez said at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum.
Bell-Kenz has been accused of giving rebates of up to P2 million, luxury cars, travel and other perks to doctors who prescribe the firm’s medicines.
Doctors have been receiving threats after being accused of receiving luxurious gifts from Bell-Kenz, Perlez noted.
She claimed that Bell-Kenz is being accused of irregularities as it is a growing firm and is getting a bigger share of the market.
“Be ll-Kenz’s medicines are 30 percent cheaper and the end user preferred its products. Consequently, the shares of multinational companies’ leading brands are being devoured. So maybe, it has an effect,” she added.
Bell-Kenz legal counsel Alex Avisado said they welcome t he Department of Health and Professional Regulation Commission (PRC)’s investigation, as this could serve as a forum to clear the company’s name.
Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said they are letting the PRC – an attached agency of the Department of Labor and Employment – probe the alleged “prescription for sale” controversy.
The PRC has the power to cancel the license of professional doctors if proven that they committed irregularity in prescribing medicines to patients, Laguesma noted.
Bell-Kenz chief executive officer Luis Go said they welcome measures that would help doctors and the medical industry.
The firm remains committed to providing affordable medicines to Filipinos and the welfare of patients is its utmost priority, Go stressed.
MANILA, Philippines — The Senate probe on the leak of purported documents from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) is not part of destabilization efforts against President Marcos, Sen. Ronald dela Rosa said yesterday.
And despite being a party-mate of former president Rodrigo Duterte, Dela Rosa maintained that he is not in favor of calls to oust Marcos from office.
In an interview with “Storycon” on One News, Dela Rosa described himself as a “rightist”and said that the position of Duterte as chairman of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino does not necessarily reflect the position of the entire PDP.
“The party chairmanship is not a party dictatorship,” Dela Rosa said in a mix of English and Filipino. “I am a rightist. I want to maintain the status quo. I want to maintain the situation. I am not a destabilizer.”
In the same interview, he maintained that the ongoing investigation of the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs that he chairs is not aimed at “persecuting” Marcos.
“It is very clear that the purpose of my hearing is investigation in aid of legislation. This is not investigation in aid of persecution. I am not persecuting the President. I am not condemning the President,” he said.
The Senate investigation is looking into the alleged leak of a PDEA “authority to operate and a pre-operation report” that links Marcos and actress Maricel Soriano to illegal drugs.
Dela Rosa admitted that he has doubts on some of the things that Morales said, such as his insistence that he cannot name the person who gave him the information that he put in supposed report.
No other person corroborated Morales’ claim, the senator added.
Dela Rosa said they will invite other personalities identified by Morales, including former executive secretary Paquito Ochoa, at the next hearing.
Marcos’ allies in the House of Representatives, however, see the development as part of a bigger picture aimed at destabilizing the Marcos administration.
The congressmen said several national events occurring one after another, including a supposed revelation from former senator Antonio Trillanes IV, are aimed at ousting the administration.
“Connect the dots. You don’t need senator Trillanes telling us all these. You just have to connect the dots,” Lanao del Sur’s first district Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said, citing the so-called “prayer rallies” of Duterte supporters, the purported secret deal with China and the “PDEA leaks.”
“Personally, if you take my opinion in it, there is a big effort to destabilize this administration. And we can see it as it develops, it is politically motivated targeting this administration’s downfall,” he pointed out.
“Everything in here is very much like a jigsaw puzzle, everything is coming into place and the picture is now very clear. It becomes clearer and clearer each day that they attack the administration,” Adiong said.
Rep. Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez of party-list 1-Rider, for his part, is amazed at how the Senate continues its inquiry despite Dela Rosa not having an iota of evidence that could pin down anybody, relying only on non-existent documents.
“I have to express surprise and alarm on the developments in the Senate. I have to express dismay, given the background of the senator, because he (being ex-PNP chief) is in a position to better understand and appreciate the evidence before him,” he said.
Rep. Raul Angelo Bongalon of party-list Ako Bicol concurred with Gutierrez’s observations and called the PDEA’s so-called witness a “pathological liar.”
“I am very disappointed with the way Senator dela Rosa conducted the hearing. Why? What we have is a witness who is a pathological liar who perjured himself, who is facing a case of false testimony in Pampanga, who is facing a case in Pasig for falsification,” he revealed.
House Deputy Speaker David Suarez and Rep. Jefferson Khonghun of Zambales’ first district also agreed.
“My advice is for them to stop this farce. Let’s let the administration work, let’s allow the administration to succeed, if we love our country let’s work for the Filipino people,” Suarez said.
“It’s very obvious on who will benefit from all these. I don’t think you have to be a scientist to see who will benefit from any destabilization plot against the sitting administration,” Khonghun told a news briefing held at the Manila Polo Club in Makati City, without naming names.
The House of Representatives is not inclined to investigate the supposed leaked PDEA documents.
According to House committee on dangerous drugs chair and Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, some quarters have been urging him to conduct a probe “in aid of legislation” on the PDEA “leaks” and former PDEA intelligence officer Jonathan Morales.
However, Barbers said he “flatly turned it down” after learning of Morales’ “questionable credibility and shady past as a police officer and PDEA agent.”
“Firstly, it’s hard to comprehend what kind of legislation can my committee generate from the stories of Mr. Morales. He is saying so many things which have no sense at all,” he noted.
The lawmaker added it seems that Morales’ testimonies are just “products of his imagination” because he could not provide any material or corroborative evidence.
Barbers added that “engaging the unfounded and uncorroborated claims and narratives of Mr. Morales is just a waste of time, money and government resources.”
“It’s much ado about nothing. He is found to be having selective memories of events, it’s like a barber’s tale, when asked to provide details of his tales and allegations,” he maintained.
The revelation of a supposed ouster plot against President Marcos by some senior officials of the Philippine National Police (PNP) is nothing more than a rumor that needs no investigation, Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos said yesterday.
Trillanes said on Tuesday that active police officials are working with retired PNP officers and members of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s Cabinet in a plot to kick out Marcos from power.
“You know it’s just hearsay, it’s not a credible threat at all. As far as we are concerned, we are not paying this any mind,” Abalos told reporters at Camp Crame.
He likewise gave assurance that the 232,000-strong PNP is 100 percent behind Marcos and remains focused on its mandate, which is to protect the public from criminals.
PNP chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil echoed Abalos’ statement, saying there is no reason for police officers to rebel against the Marcos administration, stressing there is no demoralization within their ranks.
He said some issues circulating on social media platforms that benefits of police officers will be reduced are fake news.
“I want to be clear, there is no issue and all of our PNP are very loyal to our Constitution and they are very supportive of the Bagong Pilipinas project of our President,” he said at a news forum on Tuesday night. – Delon Porcalla, Sheila Crisostomo, Emmanuel Tupas
MANILA, Philippines — A universal social pension measure has gained a foothold after a House of Representatives committee yesterday approved the budget allocation for the benefit.
The proposed measure would include all senior citizens nationwide, not just indigents, in the current social pension program.
Some P89 billion in the annual budget was earmarked by the House committee on appropriations.
“We have been pushing for the universal social pension as a matter of right of all seniors, not just the indigents. I believe the universal social pension will be crucial to keeping the near-poor and lower middle-income seniors from slipping into poverty,” said Senior Citizens party-list Rep. Rodolfo Ordanes.
Ordanes, chair of the House committee on senior citizens, hopes the measure will hurdle the third and final reading before Congress adjourns sine die later this month.
Laguna 3rd District Rep. Loreto Amante said the appropriations committee had approved a still unnumbered bill that consolidated 10 similar measures.
“We are happy because all senior citizens will now be covered by social pension,” Amante, vice chair of the senior citizens committee, said in an ambush interview.
Meanwhile, Malaya Lolas, a group of comfort women or victims of slavery of the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II, will be included in the Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
The DSWD yesterday said it is processing their inclusion in the program.
There are 10 Malaya Lolas members receiving pension since 2021, said DSWD Assistant Secretary for international affairs and attached and supervised agencies Ellaine Fallarcuna.
They started with 24 members but this went down to 18 as of April 12, Fallarcuna added.