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Metro Manila, Philippines –  The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) objected to remarks by China’s embassy that linked potential job losses among Filipinos to worsening bilateral relations, saying the tone of the statement risked undermining constructive dialogue. “The Department of Foreign Affairs notes with concern the Chinese Embassy’s statement attributing job losses among Filipinos to strained bilateral relations,” the DFA said in a statement.  The department said the Philippines continues to value cooperation with other countries across economic and cultural sectors but took issue with how the embassy framed its comments. “We take strong exception to the Embassy’s tone, which appears to imply that such cooperation could be withheld as a form of leverage or retaliation,” the DFA said, adding that in the current atmosphere the remarks “risk being perceived as coercive and undermines constructive bilateral dialogue.” The DFA urged the Chinese embassy to adopt a “responsible and measured tone…

Metro Manila, Philippines – A majority of Filipinos see bribery as the most common form of corruption, while many in the Visayas and Mindanao flag vote buying, a survey commissioned by the Office of the Ombudsman showed. In the poll conducted by the OCTA Research, 73 percent of the respondents called out bribery in routine government transactions. “Many Filipinos may have directly encountered or observed informal payments in frontline services, making it the most immediate and recognizable form of corruption,” the survey said. Irregularity in the use of public funds was the second common form of corruption, followed by vote buying and the delivery of slow justice. The survey said vote buying was a more prominent issue for those in the Visayas and Mindanao – with an almost identical response rate – which OCTA said indicated concerns on electoral integrity. “These regional variations suggest that anti-corruption challenges are shaped by…

Metro Manila, Philippines –  Malacañang said the government is ready to coordinate with the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) if new arrest warrants are issued in connection with the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation on killings linked to the Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign. Palace press officer Claire Castro said authorities would extend the same level of cooperation provided when an earlier warrant was implemented, stressing that any action would follow existing laws and legal processes. “Kung ito naman ay legal process na nanggagaling po sa ICC, hindi naman po natin ito maaaring pakialaman… ang ginagawa ng pamahalaang ito ay dumadaan lahat sa proseso,” Castro said during a Palace briefing on Monday, Feb. 16.[Translation: If this is a legal process coming from the ICC, we cannot interfere with it… this government ensures that everything goes through proper procedure.] The ICC Office of the Prosecutor named a number of sitting and former…

Metro Manila, Philippines – Senator Jinggoy Estrada, former Public Works Secretary Manny Bonoan, and three state witnesses have been barred from leaving the country in the course of the flood control scandal probe. The Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 52 issued a precautionary hold departure order (PHDO) against Estrada, Bonoan, and former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials Roberto Bernardo, Henry Alcantara, and Gerard Opulencia on Feb. 10. The Department of Justice (DOJ) released a copy of the order on Monday, Feb. 16. It directed the Bureau of Immigration to prevent the personalities from leaving the country. The order, signed by Presiding Judge Juan Ranola Jr., stated that the court found “probable cause to believe that respondents will depart from the Philippines to evade arrest and prosecution of the crimes against them.” Ahead of the release of the document, Bonoan filed his counter-affidavit with the DOJ. He told…

Metro Manila, Philippines – The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has found contractor Curlee Discaya possibly liable in the non-existent flood control project in Davao Occidental – the same case where his wife is facing graft and malversation charges, the Office of the Ombudsman said on Monday, Feb. 16.  Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano disclosed the agency’s fresh submissions after Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon revealed in a press briefing that he has submitted new names in the case: the P96.5-million flood control project contracted by St. Timothy Construction Corp., which the government found non-existent.  ​​The ombudsman earlier filed graft and non-bailable malversation charges against Sarah Discaya and nine others in December.  Clavano said based on affidavits the ombudsman received, Curlee appeared to have beneficial ownership from the companies in the project. He said the affidavits were from people who are in the know on St. Timothy. “Sila po…