News Briefs

President vows to fulfill other campaign promises

Saying he has provided free college education and free health care coverage to Filipinos, President Rodrigo Duterte has vowed to fulfill all promises he made in public until his “dying day.”

In a visit to Sagay City, Negros Occidental, on Friday, the President promised to provide fertilizers to the beneficiaries of the government’s agrarian reform program and teach them how to use fertilizers to make their land productive.

“I don’t make promises that I can’t keep. If I say it in public, I will fulfill that until my dying day. Even if I have to rot, I will do it as long as I can fulfill it,” he said. —Julie M. Aurelio

Poll watchdogs to Comelec: Name campaign violators

Name the candidates who violated campaign rules. This was the appeal of poll watchdog groups to the Commission on Elections (Comelec), which started sending notices to candidates found to have illegal campaign materials.

“I think the public should know who these candidates are as well as the details of their violations,” said National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections secretary general Eric Alvia.

“Comelec should announce such to inform voters who are these ‘pasaway’ or erring candidates,” said lawyer Rona Caritos, executive director of Legal Network for Truthful Elections.

The Comelec, however, said it could not release yet the names of candidates.

“Due process requires prudence. So we are not likely to release the names of the persons we have filed actions against until it is proper to do so,” said Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez. —Tina G. Santos

Tagle seeks support for Alay Kapwa

Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle has asked the faithful to support Alay Kapwa, an annual Lenten evangelization and fundraising program of the Catholic Church for social services of the poor and most in need, especially during times of disaster.

“With the increasing number and magnitude of disasters and calamities being responded to by Caritas Damayan, our Alay Kapwa funds get immediately depleted,” Tagle said in a pastoral letter.

“It is therefore our hope that we will be more generous in our almsgiving this season of Lent,” he added.

Funds raised from Alay Kapwa will be used by Caritas Manila, the Archdiocese of Manila’s social action arm, as emergency fund in responding to both natural and human-caused

calamities. —Tina G. Santos

Asia Water Council holds confab in Manila

It’s all systems go for the hosting of some 200 international

delegates to the Asian Water Council (AWC) 8th Board of Council (BoC) Meeting, 3rd General Assembly and Elections from

March 14-15, 2019, in Manila.

This was disclosed by Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) Administrator Reynaldo Velasco, a member of the AWC BoC headed by K Water President Lee Hak-soo.

The event will be hosted by MWSS together with its concessionaires Manila Water Company, Inc., Maynilad Water Services Inc. and Luzon Clean Water Development Corp.

“It is an honor for us to be hosting this event at a time when our government is vigorously undertaking the Build, Build, Build program that includes water infrastructure and the rehabilitation of Manila Bay,” Velasco said.

Asia Water Council boasts of over 100 organizations as members including the World Bank, and the Asian Development Bank.