Police seized an estimated PHP600,000 worth of marijuana leaves and arrested one suspect in an anti-illegal drugs operation in Barangay Dahican, Mati City, Davao Oriental afternoon of Oct. 19. In a statement Wednesday, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Davao Region (PDEA-11) spokesperson Noli Dimaandal said around five kilos of suspected Cannabis sativa, locally known as “marijuana,” were seized from the suspect identified as Royroy Binawi Malintad alias Boy, 25, single, a farmer and resident of Barangay Tomoang, Tarragona, Davao Oriental. Joint elements of the Davao Oriental Provincial Office of PDEA-11, Police Regional Office 11, Davao Oriental Police Provincial Office, and

The Office of the Ombudsman has the obligation to investigate Senator Richard “Dick” Gordon for supposedly pocketing at least PHP86 million when he was still the chairperson of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), Malacañang said Wednesday. This, after President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday threatened anew to ask the Ombudsman to step into the issue of Gordon who allegedly failed to return around PHP86 million in public funds when he was still the SBMA chair. During the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Duterte wants the Ombudsman to undertake its constitutional mandate to enforce the country’s

President Rodrigo R. Duterte on Tuesday signed an administrative order (AO) directing the adoption and implementation of the National Competition Policy (NCP). AO 44 is consistent with Republic Act No. (RA) 10667 which provides that the State shall establish a NCP to be implemented by the national government and all of its political agencies. RA 10667 mandates the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) to assist the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), in consultation with relevant government agencies and sectors, to prepare and formulate and implement a NCP. The NEDA and PCC issued the NCP through NEDA-PCC Joint Memorandum Circular No.

A total of 73 former New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in South Cotabato have received various assistance from the government this year through the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP). 1st Lt. Krisjuper Andreo Punsalan, civil-military operations officer of the Army’s 5th Special Forces Battalion, said Wednesday the recipients were among the rebels who have surrendered since last year in parts of the province. He said the surrenderers included eight indigenous peoples’ (IPs) from Lake Sebu town who decided to yield last April after serving as NPA combatants for several years. Under the E-CLIP, Punsalan said the former rebels received