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Metro Manila, Philippines – The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) will recommend amendments to firearm ownership laws and the Juvenile Justice Act in light of the Tacloban school shooting and rising school violence. Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Thursday, June 25, said authorities thwarted another possible attack on the Tolosa National High School in Leyte. He said this recent spike in school violence raised “infirmities” in the law which he would recommend for Congress to revise. He said the implementing rules and regulations of gun ownership and responsibility should be rewritten to include a criminal liability for the illegal use and transfer of firearms, and that gun owners should be responsible “100 percent of the time” for their firearms. “In case one, the firearm used was a service pistol of a police officer. Ang charge lang ay malversation, walang criminal liability ayon sa batas…In the other case, security…

Metro Manila, Philippines – Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said that another planned attack on a school, which he described as a shooting or stabbing, was prevented in Tolosa, Leyte. “At 8 o’clock last night, Senator Bam Aquino called me up and gave me a tip that there was chatter in Tacloban that there was an impending mass shooting that was about to occur,” Remulla said on Thursday, June 25. He read out a message supposedly hinting at the attack: “Hello, send this to your friends. Yo, from Tolosa, prepare yourselves, especially you as you owe me. Get ready. I will disrupt the school. You won’t know me, but you will recognize me. There’s no time, no day. Be prepared for whoever gets shot or stabbed. We don’t care, good luck to you at Tolosa Leyte National High School.” Remulla said the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) investigated the threat…

(Reuters) – Strong earthquakes struck west of Venezuela’s capital on Wednesday afternoon, bringing down buildings in Caracas, trapping people in the rubble and prompting scientists to warn of potentially heavy casualties and widespread destruction across the South American country. A magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit about 160 km (100 miles) west of Caracas, followed less than a minute later by a magnitude 7.5 tremor, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). “High casualties and extensive damage are probable and the disaster is likely widespread,” the USGS said, initially estimating the death toll would most likely range from 10,000 to 100,000. Authorities did not immediately provide a national toll for deaths or injuries, but local officials and witnesses reported collapsed buildings, rescues and a growing number of injured. “We have buildings, homes and houses which have collapsed and we are taking care of things with everything we have available in terms of security, civil…

Metro Manila, Philippines –  Filipino travelers holding valid visas, residence permits or green cards from a number of countries will soon be eligible for visa-on-arrival entry to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced Wednesday, June 24. The DFA said the new arrangement will take effect on June 25 and applies to Philippine passport holders who possess valid visas, residence permits or green cards issued by the United States, member states of the European Union, Australia, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Canada, and New Zealand. Under the policy, eligible Filipino travelers may obtain a 14-day visa on arrival for a fee of 100 UAE dirhams (roughly ₱1,670), which may be extended once for 14 more days at 250 dirhams (roughly ₱4,180). Travelers may also apply for a 60-day visa-on-arrival for 250 dirhams. The 60-day option is non extendable. The DFA said the UAE granted the privilege…

Metro Manila, Philippines – It is time to open the controversial box containing Vice President Sara Duterte’s tax records during the pre-trial proceedings, the House prosecution panel said in a manifestation filed with the Impeachment Court on Wednesday, June 24. House prosecutor and Mamamayang Liberal Rep. Leila de Lima said the pre-trial conference is the “proper stage” to unseal the box so its contents can be marked and used as evidence during the trial.  “Kasi kung ‘di gagawin ngayon saka lang sa trial pabubuksan, and then saka lang sa trial ipi-premark kung gagamitin as evidence by either or both parties,” De Lima told reporters in a chance interview on the sidelines of the pre-trial.  “Anyway, ongoing pa naman yung marking dito sa pre-trial… makahabol yung pagbukas ng BIR box na iyan, yung sealed BIR box, para malaman na, ma-inventory na yung kanyang mga laman,” she added.  [Translation: Because if this…