NATIONWIDE ROUND-UP
Duterte in Moscow for 5-day visit PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte arrived in Moscow on Wednesday for a five-day official visit, Malacañang said.
He and his official delegation arrived safely in the early morning at the Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow, his spokesman Salvador S. Panelo said in a statement.
Mr. Duterte views his latest trip as “an auspicious opportunity to deepen our ties with the Russian Federation,” he said.
The visit is also an opportunity to broaden Philippines-Russia cooperation in a wide range of areas including trade and economics, defense and military, health, and science and technology Mr. Panelo said.
Mr. Duterte is slated to have a bilateral meeting in Sochi with Russian President Vladimir Putin and they will both witness the signing of bilateral agreements, he said. — House OKs deferment of village polls
THE House of Representatives on Wednesday approved on second reading a bill postponing village and youth elections to December 5, 2022 from May next year.
House Bill 4933 will allow the Commission on Elections to hold the elections in the same year as the presidential election.
The Senate recently approved on third and final reading a similar bill. Lawmakers from both houses will have to agree on a reconciled version of the bill at a bicameral conference committee once the House approves the bill on final reading.
During his State of the Nation Address, President Rodrigo R. Duterte certified the postponement of the village and youth elections as a priority measure. — Magistrate bats for top justice post
JUSTICE Diosdado M. Peralta yesterday said he deserves to become the next chief justice even if he didn’t top the Bar exam.
Speaking before the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC), Mr. Peralta said his track record in the Judiciary shows he deserved to replace Chief Justice Lucas P. Bersamin, who is retiring on Oct. 18.
“I think I deserve to be the chief justice because I worked very hard all these years,” he said in a televised interview with the council, teary-eyed.
Mr. Peralta was appointed to the Supreme Court on Jan. 13, 2009. He has been serving in the Judiciary since 1987.
Mr. Peralta is vying for the post along with Justices Estela M. Perlas-Bernabe, Andres B. Reyes, Jr. and Jose C. Reyes, Jr. — Pasay amusement park razed
THE Star City amusement park caught fire early Wednesday morning, prompting it to close until Oct. 2020, according to reports from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and the park’s management.
ABS-CBN News Channel reported authorities were looking at the possibility that the fire, which started in the stock room, might have been a case or arson.
Reports from the news channel also said the fire started at 12:22 am in a room containing plushies and assortments of prizes. The fire was brought under control four hours later.
BFP Pasay Superintendent Paul Pili told CNN Philippines there were no reported casualties, but the blaze damaged 80% of the building.
Manila Broadcasting Company where DZRH and other FM stations are based, was also affected by the fire, the fire bureau said. — PCC to expand to other regions
THE Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) said it would start expanding to other regions by 2021.
The agency would start plans to build regional headquarters in 2020, in collaboration with the Department of Budget and Management, PCC Chairman Arsenio M. Balisacan told a Senate budget hearing yesterday.
The anti-trust’s proposed budget for next year is P453.5 million,1.49% higher than this year.
The agency will prioritize monitoring the telecommunication, retail, energy, transportation, construction, pharmaceutical, and food sectors next year, he said. — US cancels alleged drug queen’s visa
THE United States has canceled the visa of a suspected drug queen who allegedly worked with rogue cops in recycling illegal drugs seized in legitimate police operations, the Justice department said yesterday.
“The Bureau of Immigration is now working with US immigration authorities to effect her deportation to the Philippines,” Justice Undersecretary Markk L. Perete said.
The bureau earlier issued a lookout bulletin order on the alleged drug queen so authorities can monitor her whereabouts overseas.
Immigration spokesperson Krizia Dana M. Sandoval said that the suspect’s travel records showed she left the country “with no derogatory records.” —