27 NOVEMBER 2018_1

6 NEWS
Tuesday, 27 November 2018
Daily Tribune
Mole meanings
From page 1
the character of a person. For someone with a mole
in the center of one’s nose, they see that individual
as an overspender, gambler and a flirt. One near
the mouth means the person is talkative, while
that on the sole of one’s foot means the person
likes to be away from home.
Moles even tell luck and misfortune. One on
either side of the nose suggests the person may
fall extremely ill. Someone with a mole in the
center of the skin above the upper lip may likely
raise a large family.
A mole also means discomfort especially the
elevated ones that rub on clothes. It can make a
person famous, like the late rap pioneer Vincent
Daffalong after he composed and popularized a
song about such birthmarks in the 1980s. And like
his song, titled “Mahiwagang Nunal,” a mole can
indeed be mysterious.
For a six-year-old girl named Ella Mae
Nagdarapan from Arakan, North Cotabato,
“mysterious” is an understatement, especially
that the black, hairy, uneven and throbbing mole
grew on half of her head. Ella’s parents have to
cover their daughter’s head for protection, so her
classmates won’t notice and make fun of her.
For doctors who examined the girl, the mole
which hurts when it gets wet and sometimes bleed
was caused by a hematoma or blood clot during
birth and a hemangioma or a tumor in the blood
vessels. A dermatologist who examined Ella Mae
last year said the mole is a giant nevus, a medical
term for a skin tumor from the excessive growth
of melanocytes.
A mole on one’s head may mean that one
is intelligent. Ella Mae is a consistent honor
student in her class, according to her teacher.
But sustaining her academic performance requires
removing the mole by surgery costing P600,000.
For now, she leaves her fate to donors.
From page 1
Philippine Sea (WPS), Foreign
Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin
Jr. said.
Locsin maintained that the deal
does not cover any specific area.
He explained that when he
crafted the MoU, he never thought
of any particular place for a possible
joint exploration.
“Where they (PH-China working
groups) intend to explore, where
those areas are, again nobody
knows. When this was drafted, no
area was in contemplation,” Locsin
said during a broadcast interview.
He added that the MoU put
primacy to mutual respect and
benefit to both parties in compliance
with international law.
Framework for talks
The MoU, signed by the
Philippines and China during
the two-day state visit of China
President Xi Jinping, was aimed
at creating the framework for
future talks on joint oil and gas
exploration.
It stipulates adherence to
international law and that it will
be without prejudice to both
governments’ legal positions.
The deal should be in
accordance with the principles of
mutual respect, fairness and mutual
benefit, flexibility and pragmatism
and consensus, through equal and
friendly consultation.
The two governments have
decided to negotiate on an
accelerated basis arrangement to
facilitate oil and gas exploration and
exploitation in relevant maritime
areas consistent with applicable
rules of international law.
MoU not for WPS
It said Chinese
“It was waived to me... I’ve
never seen anything like that. It’s
like 16-point large, this big, three
spaces between and there were
pointers... and said, ‘Chinese...’
I just put it aside because I was
trained at the Angara Law Office to
look at memoranda of agreements
in a certain way,” Locsin said,
adding that he has no idea where
Trillanes obtained the document.
Trillanes released the supposed
draft of an alleged framework
agreement on joint maritime oil and
gas exploration between China and
the Philippines, noting that it came
from an informant.
Where they (PH-China working groups) intend
to explore, where those areas are, again nobody
knows
From page 1
validate information on some
politicians, particularly those based
in Mindanao.
“We are continuously validating
reports of the active collusion by some
local politicians with organized crime
groups engaged in kidnapping for
ransom, presumably for fund-raising
purposes,” he said. Albayalde added
reports were being monitored in
some parts of Mindanao, particularly
in known areas of operation by
kidnapping gangs.
Establish collusion
“These are all based on the
intelligence information that we
gather. We have not established
that there’s collusion. That’s why we
need to develop and conduct case
buildup,” he added.
Albayalde said, “Sometimes, you
Violence must stop Bullet cartridges litter the street after a black sedan was ambushed by motorcycle-riding men near the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay, City. Retired Chief
Inspector Roberto Razon, 52, died in the ambush. The police has targeted perpetrators of such attacks in its stepped up campaign to maintain peace.
BOB DUNGO JR.
“When I draw an agreement like
this, I do it under the rules of laws.
You put a veil of ignorance, you
don’t know who the parties are to
make it fair,” Locsin said.
“So what particular contracts
will be affected by this? I don’t
know and I don’t want to know,”
he pointed out.
At the same time, the Foreign
Affairs chief reiterated that the
“Chinese draft” presented to the
public by Sen. Antonio Trillanes
IV does not deserve any response
from him.
Non-sense exposé
“How can I respond to non-sense?
It’s not even a
draft. It may have
been written
by Trillanes’
staff… I am
dealing with a
foreign power.
He’s dealing with
his staff member,”
he said.
Earlier, Locsin
dismissed Trillanes’
document while
confirming there was
indeed an initial draft
from the Chinese side,
but it was not the copy
presented by the opposition
senator.
Critics of the Duterte
administration scored the
signing of the MoU even
before the contents were
made public, insinuating
the government is falling
into a China trap. Some
lawmakers even called
for an inquiry into the
agreements.
Crooks, bets links probed
just have reason to (conclude) that
there’s collusion there.”
The PNP chief admitted the
difficulty of gathering evidence on
the involvement of politicians to
organized crimes.
He said that based on information
they receive, there are less than 10
policemen in Mindanao who are
maintaining private goons to do
dirty jobs for them, particularly on
the aspect of raising campaign funds.
Polls factor
“Of course, (the collusion) is quite
dangerous due to the upcoming
election,” he explained. “We should
not allow this, especially in parts
of Mindanao where incidents of
kidnapping are still happening.”
Kidnappings usually occur in the
western part of Mindanao, particularly
in the Basilan and Zamboanga areas.
Albayalde earlier ordered a
MoU safe
Acting Chief Justice Antonio
Carpio, who has been a tough critic
of Chinese actions in the WPS,
said the MoU was safe as long as
the government will be vigilant in
supervising the operations.
“MoU is just an
agreement to
crackdown on guns-for-hire and
private armed groups (PAG) last
July following the series of killings
of local officials in the country.
Neutralize PAG
The PNP chief said his agency
seeks to disarm and neutralize
hired guns and PAG which are being
tapped by politicians, especially
during the election period.
Since last August, the PNP
claimed it has neutralized 82
gun-for-hire syndicate members
and confiscated 35 assorted
firearms.
He disclosed that intelligence
operations are now being directed
against more or less 77 active PAG
with 2,071 members believed armed
with an estimated 1,582 firearms.
A large majority of these active
PAG operate in the Autonomous
Region in Muslim Mindanao.
strike a cooperation deal with
China on oil and gas activities in
areas that we agreed upon,” Carpio
clarified.
He explained that in the
MoU, there was a clause that
provides China can cooperate in
the exploration. They could only
act as subcontractors who will
help in the operations, but the
Philippine government will be the
one supervising it.
“The practical solution is
for China to get the income by
working... and get the gas for us,
use their machinery, the people,
and spend for it. And if China
will now agree, then we found the
formula in settling the maritime
issue in the entire South China
Sea. We can even give 60 percent
of the income, as long as we have
the sovereign rights,” Carpio said.
“So, I said it’s safe as long as we
follow that trajectory. We will
allow them to come in as service
contractors. They work for us and
that’s the solution.”
Long journey A
couple loads crops
and supplies for a
long trek to the Sierra
Madre mountains to
earn a livelihood.
ROMAN PROSPERO
From page 1
Solgen faces
‘putschist’
We are very confident we are going to win this
case
Proclamation 572, signed by
Duterte on 31 August, declared
Trillanes’ amnesty void ab initio,
thus, reviving the coup d’état
and rebellion charges against the
senator for staging the Oakwood
mutiny, Fort Bonifacio standoff
and Peninsula Manila Hotel
siege, all committed during the
term of former President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo.
Malacañang said the DoJ had
written Calida for the transfer of
documents to enable the Office
of the Solicitor General (OSG) to
take over the appeal.
OSG gets papers
Sent to Calida was
the original copy of
the Joint Order of the
Regional Trial Court
of Makati City Branch
148 in People vs. Milo
Maestrecampo, et
al. for coup d’état
dated 22 November
2018 “denying the
People’s Motion for
Reconsideration
of the said court’s
previous order
denying the urgent
motion for issuance
of warrant of arrest
and motion for hold
departure order
against accused Sen.
Antonio Trillanes
IV.”
The letter said
Calida may opt to
file “a petition for
certiorari with the
higher courts.”
Panelo said the
OSG will now be in charge of the
appeal after the DoJ failed to
convince Judge Andres Soriano
of the Makati RTC Branch 148 to
reconsider his 22 October decision.
Prior to turning down the DoJ
motion, Soriano also dismissed
Trillanes’ appeal to reverse a
portion of the decision that upheld
the legality of Proclamation 572.
No agreement
The DoJ disagreed with
Soriano’s finding that Trillanes
complied with the requirements
for amnesty contradicting
the proclamation that stated
otherwise.
Even hostile members of
the court cannot dispute
evidence.
Soriano said the DoJ motions
were a “mere rehash of the
issues and arguments which
have already been exhaustively
threshed out, passed upon and
discussed in the assailed order.”
Proclamation 572 indicated
that the amnesty was void since
the former Navy officer never
applied for it and he did not
admit guilt over his involvement
in the military uprisings.
Duterte added former
President Benigno Aquino III
erred in granting Trillanes
amnesty because it was then
Defense Secretary Voltaire
Gazmin instead of Aquino who
signed the document.
The senator earlier obtained
bail for his rebellion case in
connection with the Manila
Pen siege, insisting that he had
complied with the requirements
for amnesty.
CL
Better, stronger Government workers strengthen a footbridge in Kamuning, Quezon City as part of the massive
infrastructure buildup program.
YUMMIE DINGDING