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KUWTT: BuCor execs face plunder charges | Dec. 7, 2022

Good day. Here are the top stories of The Manila Times for Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022

READ: BuCor execs face plunder charges

BUREAU of Corrections Officer in Charge Gregorio Catapang Jr. vowed to file plunder charges against BuCor officials involved in the release of funds for the upgrading of prison facilities. Catapang said he discovered that 95 percent of the budget for the modernization of three of BuCor's seven prisons and penal farms have been released, but only 60 percent of the projects have been completed. Catapang was referring to the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm in Palawan and the Davao Prison and Penal Farm in Davao del Norte. He announced that he is scheduled to visit the Leyte Regional Prison in Southern Leyte. Aside from the Iwahig and Davao prisons, BuCor's other operating units include the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City, Abuyog Penal Colony in Leyte, Correctional Institute for Women in Mandaluyong City, Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm in Occidental Mindoro, and San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm in Zamboanga City. Each of the prison facilities has a budget of P300 million.

READ: DoH, DepEd get highest satisfaction ratings

THE Departments of Education (DepEd), Health (DoH) and Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) got the highest satisfaction ratings for their performance, a survey conducted by OCTA Research in October but released only this month showed. According to its latest Tugon ng Bayan poll conducted from Oct. 23 to 27, 2022, 87 percent of respondents said they were satisfied with the work being done by the DepEd, while 78 percent were satisfied with the work of the DoH and 76 percent with the DSWD. Other agencies scoring above 50 percent are the Departments of Public Works and Highways, Science and Technology, Interior and Local Government, Labor and Employment, Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources, Foreign Affairs, and Justice. By area, the top department with the highest satisfaction rating in the National Capital Region (NCR or Metro Manila) is the DSWD, while in Balanced Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, the DepEd had the highest satisfaction rating. The DepEd also had a high satisfaction rating among all economic classes, with 81 percent satisfaction among class ABC, 88 percent among class D and 86 percent among class E. Meanwhile, the Department of Migrant Workers got the highest dissatisfaction rating among government agencies — 36 percent.

READ: Taguig court lets Vhong Navarro post P1-M bail

A COURT in Taguig City has allowed comedian-television host Ferdinand "Vhong" Navarro to post bail in connection with the charges of rape and acts of lasciviousness filed against him by model Deniece Cornejo. Taguig Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 69 Judge Loralie Cruz Datahan set Navarro's bail at P1 million. The judge pointed out that the credibility of the complainant "is the single most important issue in the prosecution [of] the rape case." She cited inconsistencies in Cornejo's affidavits and said these were too material to ignore. It was pointed out that while Cornejo claimed she was drugged, she failed to provide proof and even admitted that she did not see Navarro put something in her drink. Datahan said Cornejo's actions after the alleged rape, particularly the text messages she sent Navarro and the "preening [of] herself and giggling," were inconsistent with the claim of trauma by someone who underwent a painful ordeal.

READ: Workplace abuse widespread

THE first attempt to survey the extent of violence and harassment at work around the globe has found that workplace abuse is widespread, and particularly pronounced among young people, migrants and wage earners, especially women. More than 22 percent of the nearly 75,000 workers in 121 countries surveyed last year reported having experienced at least one type of violence or harassment, according to the report released Monday by the UN International Labor Organization, the Lloyd's Register Foundation and Gallup. The three organizations said in the 56-page report that one-third of the people who experienced violence or harassment at work said they had experienced more than one form — and 6.3 percent said they had faced all three forms: physical, psychological, and sexual violence and harassment during their working life. Psychological violence and harassment was the most common form, reported by both men and women, with 17.9 percent of workers experiencing it at some point during their employment, the report said.

In Business

READ: Inflation hits 14-year high

INFLATION accelerated to a 14-year high of 8.0 percent in November, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported on Tuesday, more than double that recorded a year earlier and up from October's 7.7 percent. While it did not breach the upper end of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas' (BSP) 7.4- to 8.2-percent forecast, the result put monetary authorities under pressure to keep raising interest rates. At 5.6 percent year to date, consumer price growth is well over the BSP's 2.0- to 4.0-percent target. The government on Monday acknowledged that 2022 inflation would exceed forecasts, revising this year's outlook to 5.8 percent from 4.5 to 5.5 percent previously. This also indicated that inflation would likely go even higher in December.

READ: San Miguel unit terminates supply deal with Meralco

HAVING failed to secure regulatory approval of a rate hike, SMC Global Power Holdings Corp. (SMCGP) on Tuesday announced the immediate termination of a power supply deal with Manila Electric Co. (Meralco). SMCGP unit South Premier Power Corp. (SPPC) and Meralco had filed a joint petition in August asking for a temporary rate hike, citing the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war. The Energy Regulatory Commission rejected the petition, saying that prices were fixed under the 670-megawatt (MW) deal. San Miguel appealed the ruling and won a stay order from the Court of Appeals, which also suspended the supply deal. This subsequently raised fears that Meralco would have to pass on higher supply costs to consumers.

Topping Sports

READ: Ateneo, UP aim for UAAP Finals rematch

ATENEO de Manila University and University of the Philippines (UP) seek to arrange a Finals rematch when they face separate foes today, December 7, at the start of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 85 men's basketball Final Four at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. The Blue Eagles collide with the Adamson University Soaring Falcons at 6 p.m., while the defending champs Fighting Maroons face the National University (NU) Bulldogs at 2 p.m. Finishing as the top teams after the elimination round, top seed Ateneo and second seed UP sport a win-once incentive over the fourth seed Adamson and third seed NU, respectively. This means the Soaring Falcons and the Bulldogs must win twice in the semis to advance in the championship round.

READ: Tatum powers Celtics past Raptors

Jayson Tatum scored 17 of his 31 points in the third quarter on Monday (Tuesday in Manila) as the Boston Celtics kept rolling with a 116-110 NBA victory over the tenacious Toronto Raptors. Trailing 62-56 at halftime, the Celtics outscored the Raptors, 35-18, in the third period to take a nine-point lead, pushing their advantage to as many as 13 in the fourth as they improved their league-best record to 20-5. The Celtics lead the Eastern Conference by two games over the Milwaukee Bucks, who beat the Orlando Magic 109-102 on the back of 34 points and 13 rebounds from two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo. In Toronto, Tatum added 12 rebounds and Jaylen Brown scored 22 points as the Celtics posted their seventh win in eight games — despite the absence of injured Al Horford and ailing Malcolm Brogdon. Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart added 18 points and Blake Griffin's 13 included a tip-in off a Tatum miss that pushed Boston's lead to 115-108 with 26.8 seconds remaining.

READ: Opinion/Editorial

Today's editorial says that the Energy Regulatory Commission's decision to impose a three-month suspension on the collection of the feed-in tariff allowance (FIT-All) demonstrates the ERCs awareness and concern . Read the full version on print or on digital or listen to the Voice of the Times. Rigoberto Tiglao, Fr. Ranhilio Aquino and Francisco Tatad are the featured columnists on the front page. Tiglao, in the final part of his two-part column talks about how the Energy Regulatory Commission pooh-poohs the Russian invasion of Ukraine; Aquino on whether to have or not to have the sovereign wealth fund; and Tatad on hopes for Sabah under Anwar, the new Malaysian prime minister.

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This is Kim Dignadice reporting.