By Corina Oliquino | FilAm Star Correspondent MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte re-appointed former Bureau of Customs Chief Nicanor Faeldon as deputy administrator for the Office of Civil Defense. Malacañang released Faeldon’s appointment letter last December 22. Faeldon gave his resignation later three times before President Duterte accepted it. His resignation was triggered by the PHP 6.4 billion shabu shipment that slipped past Customs when he was still the Burea...

By William Casis | FilAm Star Correspondent Leaders of both the Senate and the House of Representatives, Malacañang and defense officials were ordered by the Supreme Court to comment on petitions seeking to stop the one-year extension of martial law and the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus in Mindanao. The respondents — Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III, House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, Executive Sec. Salvador Medialdea, Defense Sec. Delfin Lorenzana, Budget...

By Macon Araneta | FilAm Star Correspondent Foreign Affairs Sec. Alan Peter Cayetano said last December 29 that there will be “no change” in his policy and that he will continue to observe his so called “strategic silence” to “protect the interest” of the 10-million Filipinos working and living around the world in 170 countries. “Whether you talk about diplomatic negotiations, whether you talk about diplomatic relations, or you talk about operational security, there are...

By Daniel Llanto | FilAm Star Correspondent Amid complaints of blatant partisanship from minority members of the House of Representatives, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez admitted that opposition congressmen were deprived of their allocations in the 2018 national budget and the funds supposed to be for their congressional districts were instead re-aligned to education, the military and police. Without the now abolished pork barrel system, House members are nonetheless entitle...

By William Casis | FilAm Star Correspondent Malacañang Palace vowed for a deeper probe after Mandaluyong police opened fire on a vehicle and killed two people, including a woman on the way to a hospital on Shaw Boulevard last week, said Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque. “(The) matter will be investigated fully even as there appears to be excessive force utilized by police authorities,” Roque added. The policemen involved in the incident, Roque said, have been disar...

By William Casis | FilAm Star Correspondent The Communist Party of the Philippines called on its cadres to work hard to overthrow President Rodrigo Duterte as the group continued to prepare for the 50th year of the longest running Maoist insurgency in Asia. Meanwhile, two days after the lapse of the unilateral ceasefire declared by the New People’s Army, the CPP’s military arm, members of the group snatched a police officer last December 28 in Cotabato province. An i...

By Daniel Llanto | FilAm Star Correspondent A draft executive order that aims to lift the executive order sequestering all the alleged ill-gotten wealth of the Marcos family in exchange for a monetary donation to the government is in the works. The essence of such a compromise agreement with government was earlier discussed if only in passing by President Duterte. The draft EO is contained in a document posted on the Facebook account of education advocate Gang Badoy Cap...