Bulacan PNP war on drugs: 32 suspects killed in 24 hours

By: Frances G. Mangosing - @inquirerdotnet

INQUIRER.net / 11:25 AM August 16, 2017

Soco operatives put a tag on one of the pieces of evidence following the bloody anti-drug operations of the PNP in
Bulacan. MARILAO POLICE PHOTO

(Updated 2:59 p.m., Aug. 16) Thirty-two drug suspects were killed and 107 were arrested in Bulacan from the
police’s anti-drug operations conducted in a span of 24 hours.

Grenades, illegal drugs, firearms and ammunitions were recovered from “simultaneous one-time, big-time operation”
by the Bulacan police from 12 m.n. of Aug. 15 to 12 m.n. of Aug. 16., the Bulacan provincial police office said in a
statement on Wednesday.

The latest number of killed suspects was the result of the Bulacan Philippine National Police’s continuing effort to
cleanse the province of illegal drugs.

Senior Superintendent Romeo Caramat Jr., police provincial director in Bulacan, said that 67 simultaneous police
operations were conducted by 24 police stations in Bulacan including the Bulacan Provincial Intelligence Branch (PIB)
and Provincial Public Safety Company (PPSC) “in an effort to continue with the relentless drive against illegal drugs,
loose firearms and implementation of search warrant in the Province of Bulacan.”

“Some quarters of the society kinukwestiyon nila ba’t ganoong kalaki (Some quarters of the society are
questioning the high number), we don’t have control of the situation. As much as we are preventing bloody
encounter, itong mga subject namin during our one time big time operations, ito yung mga notorious dahil hindi
sila papahuli ng buhay (these subjects of our one-time, big-time operations, these are the notorious who will rather
fight than be caught alive),” Caramat said in a press briefing.
PNP spokesperson Chief Superintendent Dionardo Carlos said the PNP Internal Affairs Service would investigate
the police operations that resulted to death of the drug suspects.
Data from Bulacan police said that a total of 367 pieces of heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets of suspected
shabu approximately weighing 234.4292 grams; 765 grams of marijuana leaves; 2 grenades; 34 assorted firearms;
114 pieces of ammunition were recovered during 49 buy-bust operations, serving of 14 search warrants and three
checkpoint operations.
The operations took place in Angat, Balagtas, Baliwag, Bocaue, Bustos, Calumpit, Guiguinto, Hagonoy, and
Malolos. JPV
Drug tests in schools not tokhang – DepEd
By Janvic Mateo (The Philippine Star) | Updated August 16, 2017 - 12:00am

“This is not tokhang,” Briones said, referring to the controversial campaign of the Philippine National Police
against drug suspects. File

MANILA, Philippines - The random drug testing for students in public and private high schools will not be similar to
Oplan Tokhang, Education Secretary Leonor Briones said yesterday.

“This is not tokhang,” Briones said, referring to the controversial campaign of the Philippine National Police
against drug suspects.

The primary reason for the conduct of the drug tests is to determine the extent of drug use among students, she
said.

“We just want to find out the prevalence of illegal drug use. Some say it is alarming, some say it is not. So we
have to find out what really is the status,” Briones said.

The Department of Education earlier released the guidelines for the conduct of drug testing in all public and
private high schools to yield a 95-percent confidence level on the results.

Briones noted that the results of the previous random drug tests were questioned due to the small sample size.

Headlines ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1

She said the new program would cover as many as 60,000 students.

Briones said the students would not be subjected to humiliation if they test positive for drug use.

“Definitely, we will not release the names of the students, not even the names of the schools,” she said.

Based on the guidelines, the DepEd will guarantee and respect the personal privacy and dignity of the students.
The results of the drug tests will be treated with utmost confidentiality, the agency said.

Briones said a positive drug test result would not be a ground for expulsion or disciplinary action and would not
reflect on the students’ academic record or be used to incriminate the student for legal action.

“We have to inform the parents if their children are into drugs and something has to be done about it,” she said.

Students who test positive for drugs will be referred to a social worker for counseling and other interventions.
The DepEd said parents may also enlist the students in a private drug rehabilitation center.

“If the student shows no signs of improvement or recovery, or fails the drug test for the second time, a Department
of Health-accredited facility or physician can make a recommendation to the student, parent or drug testing
coordinator to have the student referred to a facility,” read the DepEd guidelines.

Comelec to decide next week on October polls

postponement
By Sheila Crisostomo (The Philippine Star) | Updated August 16, 2017 - 12:00am

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MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will decide next week if the barangay and
Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) polls in Mindanao will be postponed as martial law remains in effect in the south, an
official said yesterday.

Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said they have to wait for the position papers of the stakeholders who
attended a public hearing in Davao City.

Jimenez said non-government organizations and civil society groups as well as representatives of the Philippine
National Police (PNP) attended the event.

The PNP favored the postponement of the barangay and SK elections in Mindanao as government forces were
still fighting members of the Maute group in Marawi City.

Last July, Congress granted President Duterte’s request to extend martial law in Mindanao until Dec. 31.

The poll body held the public hearing to get the sentiments of the stakeholders.

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While Congress has not officially deferred the barangay and SK polls scheduled this October, the Comelec said
more than 15,000 official ballots have been printed at the National Printing Office.

Jimenez said the ballots are intended for the province of Batanes.

The Comelec needs to print a total of 77,261,086 ballots for the barangay SK polls.

Earlier, Citizens’ Battle Against Corruption party-list Rep. Sherwin Tugna asked the Comelec to slow down its
preparations pending the decision of Congress on the postponement of the elections.

National Youth Commission chair Aiza Seguerra said postponing the SK elections would deprive the youth of
representation in the government.

Seguerra urged the Duterte administration not to postpone the polls. –With Christina Mendez
Zimbabwe's first lady accused of assault in South
Africa
By Krista Mahr (Associated Press) | Updated August 16, 2017 - 4:00am

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FILE -- In this July 29, 2017 file photo Zimbabwe's first lady, Grace Mugabe, greets supporters at a rally in
Zimbabwe. South Africa's police minister says the wife of Zimbabwe's president, background image, has handed
herself over to police after being accused of assaulting a young woman Sunday night. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi
Mukwazhi, File)

JOHANNESBURG — The wife of Zimbabwe's president has been accused of assaulting a young woman at an
upscale Johannesburg hotel, and local media reported that she was due to appear in court on yesterday.

It was not immediately clear where Grace Mugabe was. Minister of Police Fikile Mbalula said in a video posted by
local broadcaster eNCA that she had handed herself over to police. But a police spokesman, Vishnu Naidoo, later
said no arrest had been made and police were talking with the suspect's lawyers. He would not name the suspect,
saying she had not yet appeared in court.

The case draws yet more attention to the increasingly outspoken wife of the world's oldest head of state,
93-year-old President Robert Mugabe. Last month she challenged her husband publicly for the first time to name
a successor, positioning herself as a possibility as his advanced age takes a toll ahead of next year's election.

Twenty-year-old model Gabriella Engels has accused Grace Mugabe of assaulting her Sunday night while she
was visiting Mugabe's sons in a hotel room in an upscale Johannesburg suburb. She claims the first lady's
bodyguards stood by and watched as Mugabe attacked her.

Engels posted several photos on social media showing a gash in her forehead, which she called a result of the
alleged encounter.

"She flipped and just kept beating me with the plug. Over and over," Engels told local news channel News24. "I
had no idea what was going on. I was surprised . I needed to crawl out of the room before I could run away."

Engels told local radio station 702 that "I had no clue who this woman was when she started beating me."

Police confirmed that a 20-year-old woman registered "a case of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm" on
Monday, but said the suspect could not be named as she had not yet appeared in court.

"The investigation into this case has already reached an advanced stage," a police statement on yesterday said.

It was unclear whether Mugabe would qualify for diplomatic immunity in South Africa if charges are brought
against her. The police are considering the implications of the case, the police minister said.
There was no immediate comment by Zimbabwe's government or ruling party. Zimbabwean press reported earlier
this week that Mugabe, 52, was in South Africa seeking medical attention.

Mugabe has been accused of assaults during other overseas trips, including a 2009 visit to Hong Kong in which a
photographer accused her of beating him up.

Former Surigao del Norte mayor

charged with graft
Adrian Ayalin, ABS-CBN News
Posted at Aug 16 2017 01:11 AM

The Office of the Ombudsman on Tuesday indicted former Sta. Monica,

Surigao del Norte mayor Rosalinda Penera for graft in connection with the
disbursement of P980,000 for the purchase of land for the Core Shelter
Assistance Project of the municipality.

Also included in the charge sheet are municipal officials Dianette

Evangelista, Aurea Menil, Gilbert Dagcuta, and Lei Amor Laplana; and
private individual Rodolfo Arlan.

Based on the investigation of the Ombudsman, Penera and the other

municipal officials approved and facilitated the purchase of a parcel of land
from Arlan in 2010 for the project.
However, documents showed that the purchase was made without
authorization from the Sangguniang Bayan.

"Public respondents manifested gross inexcusable negligence from the

processing of the disbursement of funds as they should have known of the
irregularities of the purchase transaction as per their functions. Despite this,
they still pursued the transaction, thereby giving unwarranted benefits to
Arlan," the Ombudsman said in its resolution.
Duterte: We can't control drug problem
By CNN Philippines Staff
Updated 16:40 PM PHT Sat, August 12, 2017

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 12) — President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday
said his hardline campaign against illegal drugs faces tough challenges.

Speaking before medical practitioners at the centennial celebration of the Southern

Philippines Medical Center in Davao City, Duterte said even the United States could not
control its drug problem.

"Hindi makaya nga ng iba, tayo pa kaya? Iyong drugs na iyan (Others can't do it. How can
we? Those drugs), we can't control it," Duterte said.

He said having a long coastline to watch over and thousands of islands to guard make it
difficult to prevent the entry of illegal drugs.

"We do not have the equipment, kulang man (It's not enough). And you know the
coastline," he added.When he assumed the presidency in July last year, Duterte promised
to end the drug problem in six months – or he would resign.

He later said the deadline was a "miscalculation" because he did not realize then how
grave the problem was, saying drugs were even funding terrorist groups.

Duterte's bloody war on drugs, which government data said has killed over 3,400 suspects
in police operations since July, has drawn criticisms and outrage from local and
international human rights groups.

These groups claim more than 9,000 have died in the drug war.
Bar topnotcher Karen Mae Calam hopes to inspire others to dream big

The 2016 Bar topnotcher from Kalilangan, Bukidnon, says her feat is 'beyond, beyond, beyond' what she prayed
for

DREAM BIG. Bar topnotcher Karen Mae Calam of the University of San Carlos in an interview in Cebu City
after the Supreme Court announced the Bar Exam results on May 3, 2017. Photo by Gelo Litonjua/Rappler

MANILA, Philippines – Growing up far from the city in Kalilangan town in Bukidnon, Karen Mae Calam saw
how her fellow townsfolk seemed to fear having big dreams.

Calam, who topped the 2016 Bar Exams, said she wants to inspire people from small towns and “simple families”
like hers to dream big because they, too, can achieve their goals through hard work and prayers.

"We're from a simple family. I'm from Kalilangan, Bukidnon. It's far from the city. In a way, people there are
afraid to dream, if it's too big," Calam said in a media interview shortly after the Supreme Court announced the
Bar exam results.
She said she hopes to inspire others, especially public school students like her, that nothing is impossible if you
set your mind to it.

"I want to be an inspiration to all those studying in public schools. It's really not impossible for you to have this,
[something] as big as this. So I hope I'll be an inspiration not just to those who want to become a lawyer but even
those who don't want to be lawyers: Never doubt yourself," Calam said.

Calam is the second professional in her family. Her sister is a doctor.

"To be a doctor, to be a lawyer – if you come from a simple family, it's really a big dream," she said.

Calam said there was no pressure from her mother, the administrative head of a public hospital in Kalilangan
town, to become a lawyer. "In my own time, it will happen," she said of her goal to enter the legal profession.

Calam said in an interview on ANC on Wednesday that she was still processing the "shocking" news that she had
topped the Bar.

"I really didn't expect it, although you pray for it to God. You pray for it as early as you go to law school….[This
is] beyond, beyond beyond what I prayed for," she said.

When asked, Calam said she owed her feat to her school, the University of San Carlos (USC) in Cebu, and the
support of her family, friends, her fiancé and his family, while preparing for the Bar.

She said she would go to the Basilica Minore del Sto Niño in Cebu to thank her patron.
Calam is one of 4 USC law graduates among the top 10 Bar passers for 2016. – Rappler.com

Teachers board exam topnotcher

inspires with message on poverty
Being poor is no hindrance for the second top scorer of the 2015 Licensure Exam for Teachers

MANILA, Philippines – When a young student wanted something badly enough, not even hunger
would stop her from chasing her dreams.

Iah Bantang Seraspi, a Romblon State University graduate, placed second in the September 2015
Licensure Exam for Teachers (LET) for the secondary level. She scored 90% in the exam, while the
top score was 90.20%.

The post shared by the Biliran Island Facebook page showed a tarpaulin congratulating her
attached to the side of a small hut, and a snippet of Seraspi’s speech during a testimonial dinner.

Seraspi’s speech detailed her experience as a poor student. She said a normal meal for her would be
rice and chips, coffee, salt, sugar, or anything that would give rice some taste. For her, having
noodles was a luxury.

But, despite the lack of nutritional value in her food, Seraspi was able to do well in school.

“‘Di man nila makikita ang laman ng tiyan ko, but they will definitely see the capacity of my
brains,” Seraspi said. (People may not see the inside of my stomach, but they will definitely see the
capacity of my brains.)

Seraspi’s father is a fisherman and her mother is a housewife, according to the full speech Debbie
Esquejo Garcia, who financed her college education and review, posted. Seraspi said she had to
tutor children for her family’s extra income.

She added: “I came from a poor family. I’m not telling you this to humiliate my family nor to get
your sympathy. I just want you to realize how blessed you are if you were able to live a life better
than mine.”

Seraspi also asked people to make the most of the blessings they have. “Make the most out of it to
improve your education,” she said.

To those who also had big dreams, Seraspi had words of encouragement: “To those who are
dreaming to be the next topnotcher, commit yourself and be ready to sacrifice. Have a strong
motivation, be it intrinsic or extrinsic.”
As of posting, the post from Biliran Island was shared nearly 50,000 times and generated more than
115,000 reactions. Netizens commended Seraspi and also shared their own experiences of
overcoming hardship.