News Briefs: June 15, 2019
Airport security beefed up vs swine flu
The Department of Agriculture is beefing up its security against the threat of African swine fever (ASF) after pork products seized at Clark International Airport in Pampanga province were found to have contained the ASF viral gene. President Duterte has approved the use of the agency’s quick reaction fund to install 20 units of X-ray machines in the country’s international airports to exclusively check agricultural products brought in by passengers. On his Facebook page, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said that the Bureau of Animal Industry detected the ASF viral gene in confiscated canned goods of pork luncheon meat brought in from Hong Kong by a returning resident, using procedures approved by the World Health Organization. The pork products were under the Sky Dragon brand. Despite the detection of ASF in the canned luncheon meat, Piñol said that it did not change the Philippines’ status of being ASF-free. —KARL R. OCAMPO
BARMM agency remits P207-M revenue to gov’t
COTABATO CITY—The Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Energy in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Menre-BARMM) has become the first BARMM agency to remit huge revenues to the regional treasury, an environment official said on Friday. Menre-BARMM Minister Abdulraof A. Macacua said that since he took over the leadership of the defunct Department of Environment and Natural Resources of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao on March 1, the environmental agency had remitted a total of P207,010,832 as of June 13. The amount was sourced from Menre collectibles consisting of mining fees and similar payments from mining firms that operate in the region. —EDWIN O. FERNANDEZ
Special PNP unit formed to rein in police corruption
The Philippine National Police on Friday activated a special unit tasked to weed out scalawags from its ranks and rein in corruption in the 170,000-strong force. Police Gen. Oscar Albayalde, the PNP chief, said the creation of the Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group was part of his promise to introduce institutional reforms in the police service after President Duterte named him to head the organization last year. The new police unit, to be headed by Col. Romeo Caramat Jr., replaced the Counter Intelligence Task Force, which the PNP formed in 2017 to go after rogue policemen involved in criminal activities. —MARLON RAMOS
Chinese fugitive nabbed at Naia
A Chinese fugitive wanted by Beijing authorities for alleged money laundering was intercepted by Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers on Wednesday for trying to enter the country. Wu Chuqui, 42, was flagged by BI officers at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) Terminal 3 upon his arrival onboard a Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong. BI Interpol chief Rommel Tacorda said Wu was on the Interpol’s red notice list of wanted fugitives for reportedly being involved in an illegal business operation as early as August last year. He was the target of an arrest warrant issued in October 2018 by the Public Security Bureau in Shenzhen, Shantou, China. —KRIXIA SUBINGSUBING
