Manila (UCAN): In a dramatic U-turn, members of the Philippines’ Lower House of Congress decided on February 4 to drop provisions in a bill that could reimpose the death penalty for people found possessing illegal drugs at parties and social gatherings.
“We decided to reconsider approval (of the bill) in order to clarify provisions that refer to the death penalty,” Fredenil Castro, majority leader of the House of Representatives, said.
Manila (UCAN): “I am asking for forgiveness for all those killed in our war on drugs because it (bothers) my conscience,” Ronald dela Rosa, the retired chief of the Philippine National Police, said on February 6.
After his retirement in April last year, the one-time national police chief was named director-general of the Bureau of Corrections. He is now running for the Philippine Senate in the upcoming midterm elections in May.
MANILA (UCAN): Randy Felix Malayao, 49, a consultant for the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), was shot dead on January 30 sparking an outcry among rights and peace advocates.
Gunmen shot in the communist rebel peace consultant head while he was sleeping on a bus in Nueva Vizcaya province.
The NDFP is a coalition of groups involved in an ongoing communist insurgency in various parts of the country. It has long been engaged in peace negotiations with the Philippine government.
COTABATO CITY (UCAN): Archbishop Angelito Lampon of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate succeeded Orlando Cardinal Quevedo as the head the Archdiocese of Cotabato, Mindanao, on January 30.
MANILA (Agencies): Bishop Dinualdo Gutierrez and Bishop Nicolas Mondejar, the former bishops of the dioceses of Marbel in South Cotabato, and San Carlos, Negros Occidental, the Philippines, died within hours of each other on February 1.
Bishop Gutierrez, who would have turned 80-years-old on February 20, died early in the morning had reportedly been suffering from prostate cancer and obstructive pulmonary disease.
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the bombing, which occurred during Mass, and issued a statement claiming that two suicide bombers detonated explosive belts inside the church and near its entrance.
MANILA (UCAN): Philippine lawmakers were forced to make a compromise in their attempt to lower the minimum age of criminal liability amid fierce opposition from the Catholic Church and child rights advocacy groups. They approved a bill to set criminal responsibility starting at 12 years old during its second reading on January 23.
The start of the year is always an occasion to reflect on one’s directions and goals. Recollection, reflections and discernment of the past year during the Advent season becomes the springboard for the year’s plans.