News Briefs: July 2, 2019

Honasan finally sworn in as DICT secretary

MANILA, Philippines — After almost seven months, former Sen. Gregorio Honasan II has finally taken his place in President Duterte’s Cabinet.

Honasan took his oath as the new secretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) on Monday afternoon.

In a text message, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea said Honasan was sworn into office ahead of the Cabinet meeting on Monday night.

The President nominated Honasan, a former military officer and mutineer, to the DICT post in November 2018, but the nomination lapsed on Dec. 15 when Congress adjourned for Christmas.

Honasan will replace Eliseo Rio, who had headed the department in an acting capacity after former Secretary Rodolfo Salalima resigned in September 2017.

Honasan joins the growing list of former military officers in the President’s Cabinet, which includes Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr., Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu and Social Welfare Secretary Rolando Bautista. —Julie M. Aurelio

Supreme Court junks rule on prison term reduction

MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court has invalidated one of the rules adopted during the administration of former President Benigno Aquino III in the implementation of a law that granted time allowance for prisoners who showed good conduct.

In nullifying Section 4, Rule 1, of the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) No. 10592, the tribunal said that all prisoners may qualify for the reduction of their sentence.

Passed on May 29, 2013, RA 10592 expanded the application of good conduct time allowance for prisoners even during preventive imprisonment and increased the number of days that may be credited for good conduct.

The law also allowed the deduction of days from a prison sentence if the prisoner showed loyalty and was given study, teaching and mentoring service.

The IRR, however, ordered that the grant of time allowance would be applied prospectively, drawing a legal challenge from groups representing prisoners.

In a decision issued on June 25 and penned by Associate Justice Diosdado Peralta, the high court ruled that a prospective application violated the Revised Penal Code. —Dona Z. Pazzibugan

DILG probes allegations Osmeña stripped former office bare

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) will look into allegations former Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña stripped bare the office he vacated.

Jonathan Malaya, spokesperson for the DILG, said Osmeña may be charged criminally and administratively if it was found that he “stripped the mayor’s office of everything from ceiling to floor tiles, rendering it unusable and completely bare.”

Malaya said: “The act of even removing what are considered immovable objects like ceiling, walls and the tiles is already bad faith because it renders the office, which is government property, unusable by his successor and therefore affects the delivery of public service to the people of Cebu City.”

Citing the Civil Code of the Philippines, Malaya said that as a general rule, government officials may remove from their office only furniture, movable fixtures and personal items when their terms ended.

“What the mayor should have done was to file a claim for indemnification for all the immovable improvements he introduced to the office so that he can be reimbursed for the cost.” —Jeannette I. Andrade