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Maliban sa kinahaharap na kaso sa Senate committee on ethics, isa pang petisyon ang kinahaharap ni Sen. Leila De Lima para siya ay mapatalsik sa Senado.

Isasalang na sa pagdinig ng Senate Electoral Tribunal ang protesta ni dating MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino laban sa pagkakapanalo ni Sen. Leila de Lima noong nakaraang eleksyon.

Sa inihaing kaso ni da­ting Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Francis Tolentino sa Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET), pinabubura nito ang nakuhang 1.3 milyong boto ni De Lima sa nakaraang senatorial elections.

Batay sa SET case No. 001-16, partikular na ipinoprotesta ni Tolentino ang agad na pagproklama sa dating Justice secretary sa kabila ng kinikwestyon umanong mga boto mula sa overseas absentee voting (OAV).

Hindi pa rin daw tapos ang bilangan nang ideklarang panalo ng Comelec si De Lima.

Si De Lima ay ika-12 nanalong senador sa nakaraang halalan at ika-13 si Tolentino. Kung papaboran ng SET ang petisyon ni Tolentino sa pagbura ng 1.3 milyong boto, lalamang ito sa senadora ng 37,028, at maaaring iproklama bilang ika-12 nanalong Senador.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, during his talks with President Rodrigo Duterte, unveiled his plan to provide the Philippines with two large frigates, a type of warship, in a bid to strengthen the bilateral relations between the two countries.

Presidential Communications Office Secretary Martin Andanar said during a press conference in Vientiane, Laos that one of the two frigates is now being delivered to the country.

As mentioned in the Chicago Tribune, the two 90-meter (295 feet) vessels that will be delivered to the Philippine Coast Guard to help boost the country’s maritime security capabilities are the largest that Japan has ever provided to another nation.

The warships, having thick armor designed to protect against shell, will likely be treated as weapons, as per the Chicago Tribune.

During his talks with President Duterte, Abe said he intended to build a relationship of trust with the Philippines and is looking forward to develop the two countries’ cooperation in a wide range of areas.

“Under our close partnership, I do look forward to further developing our cooperation in a wide range of areas together with you,” Abe said.

President Duterte, for his part, expressed optimism that under his term, the good bilateral relations between the two countries will be sustained.

A bill has been refiled at the Senate seeking to require journalists to take an exam for accreditation, but a media group said such a legislation is “unnecessary.”

 

Under Senate Bill 380 or the “Magna Carta for Journalists,” filed by Senator Jinggoy Estrada last month, reporters, editors and photographers will have to take a professional journalism examination to be accredited.

 

“It is necessary for the enactment of a law that will ensure a living wage, an atmosphere conducive to productive journalism work, reiterate value of ethics, provide for development programs that will deepen the practice of their profession, and promote the defense and protection of freedom and human rights of journalists and their organizations,” Estrada said in his bill.

 

The senator has been pushing for the passage of this bill since 2011. 

 

Under the measure, the accredited journalists will be issued identification cards, which will entitle them to “all benefits and privileges that may be accorded to them by law.”

 

The proposed legislation states that the examination will be administered by the Philippine Council for Journalists composed of eight media groups, which will be created to “act as a self-regulatory body for journalists and the journalism profession.”

 

The council is also tasked under the bill to craft a code of ethics for journalists. Violation of this code shall be grounds for the revocation of a journalist’s accreditation, according to the measure.

 

‘Window for discrimination’

 

Rowena Paraan, National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) chairperson, said passing Estrada’s bill will create a “window for discrimination” among journalists.

 

“Pangit naman yata na gumagawa ka ng dalawang klase ng journalists, ‘yung accredited at hindi accredited, at saka hindi naman ibig sabihin na kapag accredited ka, hindi ka na corrupt,” Paraan said in a phone interview.

 

She added that journalists “should remain independent from any kind of control,” even from their peers.

 

“Alam naman na siguro ng news organizations kung ano ang qualifications ng mga journalists na hina-hire nila,” she said.

 

Paraan added that an accreditation system for journalists seems “not applicable” for the current “context and environment” in the Philippine media, since the country still does not have a strong democracy.

 

“Itong bill na ito siguro applicable lang sa mga bansa na may high regard for freedom of the press and freedom of expression. Dito kasi sa atin marami pang threats sa mga iyan,” she said.

 

Estrada's bill will have to undergo deliberations and voting in the committee and plenary levels before it can be passed by the Senate.