P850M worth of counterfeit goods seized
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) seized more than P850 million worth of counterfeit goods from several warehouses in separate raids in the cities of Manila and Parañaque. Following a complaint from Nike Philippines, the BOC seized recently 2,500 sacks of apparel containing counterfeit products of such brands as Nike, Adidas and Under Armour costing at least P700 million from a warehouse in Binondo. A separate raid on two warehouses in Sucat, Parañaque, resulted in the seizure of P150 million worth of counterfeits of the same popular brands, as well as the local brand Bench. — Jovic Yee
WHO issues alert vs fake anti-rabies vaccines
The World Health Organization (WHO) told health care providers in the Philippines to exercise “increased vigilance” after counterfeit rabies vaccines were recently discovered in the country. In its medical product alert, the WHO said there were at least two falsified batches of the Verorab vaccine currently circulating in the country. The genuine vaccine is manufactured by French pharmaceutical firm Sanofi Pasteur. The counterfeit products’ cartons were labeled with batch numbers NIE35 and H1833, and due to expire on April 2019 and October 2020, respectively. The WHO said Sanofi had confirmed that these products were not manufactured by them and that data on these products “do not correspond to the genuine manufacturer records.” Verorab is used to prevent rabies in both children and adults. —Jovic Yee
Sandigan denies ex-BI commissioners’ motion to inhibit
The Sandiganbayan sixth division has denied the motion for inhibition filed by former Bureau of Immigration deputy commissioners Al Argosino and Michael Robles. In a 10-page resolution, the anti-graft court said the motion to inhibit was sorely lacking in merit. “They did not even cite any specific resolution, or any particular instance which would indicate that this court’s rulings were grounded on something other than what was learned during the course of the proceedings,” the resolution said. Robles earlier asked Associate Justice Sarah Jane Fernandez to inhibit herself from the case. Argosino likewise sought the inhibition of Associate Justices Karl Miranda and Zaldy Trespeses. The resolution noted that Argosino and Robles failed to identify instances showing the bias of the three justices as a unit. —Patricia Denise M. Chiu
Former ambassador Tomas Padilla dies; 86
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced Friday the death of retired ambassador Tomas delos Reyes Padilla, 86, whose career as a diplomat spanned five administrations. Padilla topped the Foreign Service Officers examinations in 1956 and joined the DFA a year later. His career spanned five administrations—from President Carlos P. Garcia to Fidel V. Ramos. Padilla served as ambassador to South Korea from 1986 to 1990. He was also posted in Japan, China, Hong Kong, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Born on April 25, 1932, in Manila, Padilla earned his master’s degree in International Relations from Yale University and bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and Foreign Service from the University of the Philippines. He was the son of the late Supreme Court Justice Sabino Padilla. —Jerome Aning
Greggy Araneta seeks release of sequestered properties
Gregorio Araneta III, son-in-law of former President Ferdinand Marcos, has asked the Sandiganbayan Fourth Division to release four more of his properties which were sequestered due to the P200-billion forfeiture case against former First Lady Imelda Marcos and 18 others. Araneta, who is married to Marcos’ youngest daughter Irene, said that since he and 18 other accused were cleared in 2005 when their case was dismissed, the anti-graft court should release his shares in Northern Express Transport Inc., Golden Needle Inc., High Five Philippines Inc. and Philippine Semi-Conductor Devices Inc. In a 10-page resolution dated Jan. 14, the Sandiganbayan ordered the release of two of his properties, Imexco Enterprises Inc. and Asialand Development Corp., from the supervision of the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG). —Patricia Denise M. Chiu
Man runs over cop, is charged with frustrated murder
A motorcycle rider without drivers license was charged with frustrated murder for running over a policeman he tried to evade at a checkpoint in Quezon City on Thursday evening. Quezon City Police District (QCPD) Chief Supt Joselito Esquivel identified the suspect as Peter John Halog, 19, of Brgy. Payatas A, Quezon City. QCPD Batasan Police Station 6 policemen manning a checkpoint on Ilang Ilang street in Payatas flagged down Halog around 11:20 p.m. for not wearing helmet. Instead of pulling over, the suspect sped away prompting PO1 John Edison Arlan-Tan to block him. Police said Halog ran over Tan causing him to go unconscious. He was rushed to East Avenue Medical Center. The policemen eventually caught Halog and found he did not have a driver’s license. Halog faces frustrated murder charges on top of his traffic violations. —Jodee A. Agoncillo