News Briefs: July 13, 2019

Red leader Ladlad seeks medical leave

A Manila Regional Trial Court on Friday ordered the Department of Justice to respond within 24 hours to alleged communist leader Vicente Ladlad’s urgent motion for medical leave, after the 70-year-old complained of respiratory complications. If granted, Ladlad will be allowed to undergo medical checkup with his doctors at Makati Medical Center, said his wife Fides Lim. Ladlad, who is suffering from emphysema and asthma, is among the top consultants of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines in the shelved peace talks with the government. He is detained at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology facility in Taguig City for multiple murder charges relating to the deaths of 15 people whose remains were found in a mass grave in Inopacan, Leyte province, in 2006. He was arrested in November for illegal possession of firearms and explosives. Lim said Ladlad’s ailments were compounded by the congestion in the jail. —KRIXIA SUBINGSUBING

Palace condemns ambush slay of Kidapawan broadcaster

The Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) has condemned the “cowardly killing” of a radio station manager in Kidapawan City on Wednesday. “The PTFoMS strongly denounces and is deeply saddened by the cowardly killing of Brigada News FM Kidapawan station manager Eduardo Dizon,” the PTFoMS said in a statement. Dizon was gunned down  along the national highway in Kidapawan City as he was driving home on Wednesday night. The broadcast journalist died from five gunshot wounds after he was ambushed by motorcycle-riding gunmen.  Jose Joel Sy Egco, PTFoMS executive director, is expected to fly to Kidapawan City to condole with Dizon’s family and friends, and to seek a case conference with Col. Ma. Joyce Raro of the Kidapawan City police. “The PTFoMS presumes any media killing as work-related, until further investigation proves otherwise,” the task force said. —JULIE M. AURELIO

Go: Proposed salary hike realistic, fiscally sustainable

Sen. Christopher Go on Thursday defended his bill to raise the salaries of government workers from criticism that it was an insult to their dignity, saying his measure was a “realistic” one.  The Alliance of Concerned Teachers had scoffed at Go’s measure, which would raise Salary Grade 1 by P588, or from P11,068 to P11,656. This would also increase the succeeding salary grades.  The group said this would translate to less than P20 a day and was thus “meaningless.” According to Go, raising the salaries of government workers, including teachers and nurses, must be done “in a fiscally sustainable manner.” “It must be something that the government can fund in a realistic way,” he said. —LEILA B. SALAVERRIA

Malacañang denies no TNVS contact apprehension memo

Malacañang has denounced a supposed directive prescribing a no contact apprehension for drivers and operators of transportation network vehicle services (TNVS) as fake. Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo told the public not to be misled by a purported Memorandum Circular No. 636, supposedly issued by the Palace. “The Office of the President advises the public that Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea has not signed or caused the release of a particular document, which is labelled as Memorandum 636, purportedly adopting a no contact apprehension for transportation network vehicle services drivers or operators,” Panelo said. “The document is fake. Please be guided accordingly,” he stressed. —JULIE M. AURELIO