a risk control organization

MAY 17, 2017 VOLUME V NUMBER 07

COMMUNIST INSURGENCY

Cop killed in Agusan del Sur; NPA blamed

A police officer was killed early Tuesday, May 16, by
communist rebels at a patrol base along the national
highway in Tabon-tabon village, Sibagat town, Agusan
del Sur. Police Officer 1 Charmaine Cañete, 23, a
resident of Sibagat, died while being treated at the
Butuan City Medical Center after he sustained multiple
gunshot wounds. Police reports said around 20 New
People’s Army (NPA) rebels stormed the highway
checkpoint. But Elmer Luzon, general manager of the
San Francisco Water District who was driving past the
area a few minutes after the killing, said investigators should also look into other
angles since he saw other policemen casually sitting down as if nothing
happened as Cañete lay dead on the ground.

Chief Inspector Bonifacio Estrella, deputy chief of the Agusan del Sur Public
Safety Company, however said Cañete’s colleagues were actually on full alert
position to safeguard their detachment from fresh attacks but luckily, the raiding
rebels did not come back. He said Cañete was the first to react by going down
from their elevated quarters after hearing the howling dogs, only to be gunned
down by the assailants already in firing position.

“The rebels were in a failed position … They did not realize that the other police
troopers were well-positioned upstairs ready to fire back at them the moment
they pursue the attack,” Estrella said.

Cañete was a member of the Agusan del Sur Public Safety Company who joined
the police force in 2016. (Inquirer Mindanao)
 NPA frees Agusan del Sur’s top small-scale
mine operator
Communist rebels “secretly” freed on Monday
afternoon (May 15) a small-scale gold mining operator
they held for two days, saying he was cleared of
charges of engaging in anti-insurgency activities. Ka
Amihan, spokesperson for New People’s Army’s Front
14, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer by phone that
they found no sufficient evidence to investigate
Carson Ceasar Lademora, prompting them to release
him without going through the process of a third-party
facilitator done mostly with police and military
captives. He was secretly turned over without media coverage to Rosario town
Mayor Jose Cuyos Sr., his wife, the town’s Vice Mayor Juvy Cuyos, and town
councilor Belarmino Balagot at an undisclosed municipal road in neighboring
Tagbina town in Surigao del Sur just before dusk.

“He is OK now and is back to work,” said Lademora’s wife Eufemia, who
admitted having sleepless nights since Lademora’s abduction. She said Carson
Ceasar asked not to be interviewed by local media. Lademora and his aide,
Leonardo Cacao, were held by the NPA rebels on Saturday after they raided his
gold mining tunnels in Sitio Sinug-ang, Barangay Bayugan 3 in Rosario town.
Cacao was released hours after they were taken by the rebels.

Lademora operates small-scale tunnels in the high-grade gold rush area in

Sinug-ang, Bayugan 3, which his family has been claiming since the early 1980s.
Amihan dismissed reports that Lademora was released after the payment of
ransom money. The rebel spokesperson maintained they have always strictly
adhered to the revolutionary movement’s principles not to be regarded as a
kidnap-for-ransom group. She, however, admitted Lademora was interrogated if
he still had hidden cache of firearms, but the captive swore that the 21 high-
powered assorted firearms the rebels confiscated during the raid were all that he
got and all that his mining workers used to secure their tunnels.

Amihan said they did not find sufficient evidence that Lademora had been
committing atrocities against the poor residents of his community, the same
offenses alleged to have been committed by his late father. Lademora, who is in
his 40s, is a son of the late Philippine Constabulary (PC) Col. Carlos Lademora,
leader of the dreaded “Lost Command,” whose reign in the 1980s in Agusan del
Sur terrorized residents, according to the New People’s Army. “He did not have
that kind of record, so we did not consider him a POW (prisoner of war),” Amihan
said. (Inquirer Mindanao)

5th round of peace talks with communist rebels

to be held in Netherlands
The next round of peace negotiations between the Philippine government and
the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) will push through later
this month in the Netherlands, according to the Royal Norwegian Embassy. “The
Philippine Government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines
(NDFP) will meet for a new round of peace talks in the town of Noordwijk in the
Netherlands May 27 to June 1,” the Embassy said on Tuesday. It will be the fifth
round of talks since the negotiations, facilitated by Norway, resumed in August
2016.

“The Philippine Government and the NDFP are determined to continue the peace
process,” said Erik Førner, the Norwegian Ambassador to the Philippines. He
said the two parties have already held several meetings in Manila in the past
weeks. “We hope it will be possible to take the process even further when the
parties meet again for another formal round of talks,” he said.

Norway has been facilitating the peace talks since 2001. Past rounds have been
held in Norway and Rome. The resumption of the peace talks had a strong start
last year because of President Rodrigo Duterte’s close ties with the Communist
Party of the Philippines and its military arm, the New People’s Army. The group
has been waging the longest-running communist insurgency in Asia.

However, disagreements on the ceasefire and other issues have caused delays
and problems in the peace process. The Philippine government has also yet to
accomplish its promise to release political prisoners, according to the NDFP.
NDFP consultants Benito and Wilma Tiamzon reportedly met with Duterte in
Malacañang last week. (Philippine Daily Inquirer)

TERRORISM

Bohol now free of Abu Sayyaf terrorists

Bohol's nightmare is over. The two remaining Abu Sayyaf bandits in Bohol were
killed on Monday, May 15, in a chase that followed their foiled attempt to take a
resident hostage. "All the Abu Sayyaf Group members who landed in Bohol
province aboard three bancas in early April 2017 were all neutralized. Bohol is
now cleared of Abu Sayyaf Group elements," said Brigadier General Restituto
Padilla, spokesman of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

They were the last of the daring gang of 11 Abu Sayyaf bandits who escaped
military operations in Sulu a month ago and planned to launch a Holy Week
attack in Bohol, a world famous tourist destination. Their plans were foiled by the
police and the military.

Earlier on Monday, the two Abu Sayyaf bandits identified as Abu Ubayda and
Abu Asis were able to take a hostage. But a police report said they were forced
to release the unnamed civilian when the military found their trail. "The remaining
two ASG members in Bohol were spotted at Barangay Cahayag [in] Panggangan
Island, Bohol. [They] initially took hostage a resident of said barangay but later
left the hostage and commandeered a motorcycle upon sensing Army troops are
nearing," stated the report. The two bandits parted ways when they approached
a police checkpoint, the report added. Residents who spotted the outsiders
alerted the police. A chase ensued, leading to the firefight that killed Ubanda
early afternoon on Monday and Asis later in the afternoon.

Among those killed in the first salvo of operations in Bohol last month was
Muamar Askali, a sub-leader of the Abu Sayyaf Group who also served as its
spokesman. He was among those killed in clashes with government forces in
Bohol. (Rappler)

Abu Sayyaf bandit arrested in Tawi-Tawi

A suspected member of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) involved in cross-border
kidnapping operatrions was arrested, Saturday, May 13, in Tawi-Tawi. Joint Task
Force Tawi-Tawi commander Brig. Gen. Custodio Parcon identified the ASG
member as Sahidul Jikiri, who carries the aliases of Idul, Jamiri Saidul, Saidul
Idul and Jikiri Saidul. Parcon said Jikiri was arrested at around 12:00 noon on
Saturday in the village of Sipangkot, Sitangkai, Tawi-Tawi. Parcon said Marine
Battalion Landing Team-10 troops arrested Jikiri after they were informed by a
concerned resident that the suspect is an ASG member while Marines were
conducting a “pulong-pulong” in the village of Sipangkot.

Gen. Parcon said Jikiri admitted that he is an ASG member and a follower of
Sulu-based Abu Sayyaf sub-leaders Idang Susukan and Sihata Latip. Jikiri said
he was often contacted by other ASG sub-leaders like Abraham Hamid, Salip
Susung, Nixon Muktadil and Brown Muktadil in crafting plans for kidnapping and
cross-border hijacking, targeting mostly foreign nationals and vessels, the military
official said.

The arrested bandit admitted that ASG sub-leaders pay him for every errand he
does for them and he also receives part of the money every time families of
kidnap victims pay ransom, he said. Jikiri was placed under the custody of the
police in preparation for the filing of appropriate charges against him, Parcon
added. The arrest of Jikiri has brought the number of arrested ASG members to
18 within the areas covered by the Western Mindanao Command since January
this year. (Sun Star Zamboanga)

PHILIPPINE NATIONAL POLICE

PNP investigating 1,540 cases of police abuse

The Philippine National Police is investigating 1,540 cases of alleged police
abuse in the government’s war on drugs, a ranking police official said on
Monday. Chief Supt. Dennis Siervo, PNP Human Rights Affairs Office chief, also
said 17 policemen had already been dismissed for human rights violations over
the last two years.“In our organization, we respect and protect human rights,”
Siervo said in a press briefing. But Siervo noted a downward trend in the number
of police abuse cases. “There were 12 policemen dismissed in 2015 and five in
2016. I’m hoping that it will continue to go down,” he said.

Siervo said a report from the PNP Internal Affairs Service (IAS) showed that it
was investigating 1,540 complaints of police abuse during the war on drugs.
“With these anti-drug operations, I’m expecting that many will be charged. I even
talked with National Capital Region Police Office Director Oscar Albayalde so
these cases could be filed directly in court to determine if these persons did
commit human rights violations,” he said. “Maybe they should be given the
proper fora. It’s also our chance to go to court and defend ourselves. We also
have our right to defend ourselves,” he added.

Siervo earlier said that 174 policemen were accused of human rights violations in
2014, 131 in 2015, 105 in 2016, and 56 from January to February this year. “I still
couldn’t say that these were (definite) violations so I must wait for the Internal
Affairs Service,” he said. Siervo said some of these complaints might just be
harassment cases filed against policemen who were just doing their job. “Let’s
wait for the results (of the IAS investigation). They might be exonerated,” he said.
(Philippine Daily Inquirer)
 PNP: EU vows to help in anti-drug campaign
The European Union (EU) has committed to provide the country, particularly the
Philippine National Police (PNP), with assistance that can boost the
government's campaign against illegal drugs, a PNP official said Tuesday.
President Rodrigo Duterte previously blasted the EU in his public speeches after
it criticized his administration's war on drugs.

Chief Superintendent Dennis Siervo, PNP-Human Rights Affairs Office (HRAO)

director, said the EU was enlightened after they discussed before its committee
the country's anti-illegal drugs campaign. "In a separate meeting with the EU in
Brussels, we gave them the first-hand account of what really is the real situation
in the anti-illegal drugs campaign in the country. Natuwa naman sila and they
were enlightened sa extrajudicial killings na reported, it was not that much,” he
said.

Siervo was among the 16-member Philippine delegation in the United Nation's
Universal Periodic Review for the discussion of human rights situation in its
member countries, which was held in Geneva, Switzerland. He said that after the
conference, they went to Brussels for a meeting with the EU. Siervo said that
during the meeting, they reported that from July 1 to May 9, the PNP has
conducted 57,554 anti-illegal drugs operations, which resulted in the arrest of
72,812 drug personalities and the killing of 2,949 drug suspects after trying to
resist arrest. "We clarify this. There were only about 2,900 that were killed due to
their involvement in illegal drugs and not 7,000 dahil 'yun nahalauan na ng other
deaths," he said.

He said they reiterated during the meeting that the alleged extrajudicial killings
were not state-sponsored. He said the drug personalities killed during the
operations were those who resisted to authorities. Siervo said they assured the
EU that the PNP is observing the UN standards on human rights, that it is
continuously respecting, protecting and fulfilling their duties on human rights, and
that it does not tolerate their personnel who violate such.

He said among the assistance they asked from the EU were the provision of
alternative livelihood and rehabilitation of the surrenderees and the capability
training of the PNP personnel. "I did mention that the Hanns Seidel Foundation, a
German-based NGO, has been giving assistance to the PNP and supposedly we
have training this year but it was cancelled because of the 60 percent reduction
of their support from the previous year," said Siervo. "I asked them if they can
influence the government of Germany to reconsider and reinstate their support to
the said foundation with the Philippines, they took cognizance with that," he
added. (Sun Star Manila)

PHILIPPINE-CHINA RELATIONS

Philippines, China vow closer ties, management

of disputes
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Tuesday that he and Chinese
President Xi Jinping resolved to strengthen their countries' friendship during their
meeting in Beijing, with China pledging to speed up infrastructure projects it is
funding in the Philippines. "We renewed our resolve to strengthen our friendship
and mutually beneficial partnership on a broad range of areas," Duterte said in
southern Davao City on his return from Beijing. "We resolved to fully use the
mechanisms we have established to dialogue openly, monitor progress and
ensure implementation of projects."

Duterte, who took office last June, has worked to repair relations with China that
have been strained by territorial conflicts in the South China Sea and an
international arbitration ruling on a case filed by his predecessor that invalidated
Beijing's claims to the disputed territory. Duterte met separately with Xi and
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang after attending last weekend's "Belt and Road" trade
initiative.

Duterte said both he and Xi were looking forward to officials from both countries
meeting later this week for inaugural bilateral talks on the South China Sea.
Philippine officials have said the meeting will be held Friday in southwestern
China. Duterte said he didn't raise the arbitration ruling while in Beijing. "There is
a time for me to ask about the arbitral ruling, but it is not now," Duterte said. The
agenda, mechanics and "how to present our case to them" have to be ironed out
first "because we agreed to talk and to have a dialogue," he added.

Four agreements were signed during the visit, including a Chinese grant of 500
million yuan ($72.5 million) for feasibility studies of infrastructure projects in the
Philippines and construction of a drug rehabilitation center. Also signed were
memorandums of understanding on cooperation in human resources
development and personnel exchanges, energy cooperation, and enhancing
government capabilities in communication and publishing.
Duterte thanked China for its generosity, including providing grants and loans,
promising to build two bridges for free in Metropolitan Manila and increasing
imports of Philippine agricultural products. (Associated Press)

CYBER SECURITY

Seoul cyber experts warn of more attacks as

North Korea blamed for ransomware
More cyber attacks could be in the pipeline after the global havoc caused by the
Wannacry ransomware, South Korean cybersecurity experts warned on
Tuesday, May 16, as fingers pointed at the North. More than 200,000 computers
in 150 countries were hit by the ransomware attack, described as the largest ever
of its kind, over the weekend. Since Friday, banks, hospitals and state agencies
have been among the victims of hackers exploiting vulnerabilities in older
versions of Microsoft computer operating systems and demanding payment in
the virtual currency Bitcoin.

The code used in the latest attack shared many similarities with past hacks
blamed on North Korea, including the targeting of Sony Pictures and the central
bank of Bangladesh, said Simon Choi, director of Seoul internet security firm
Hauri. Choi, known to have vast troves of data on Pyongyang's hacking activities,
has publicly warned against potential ransomware attacks by the North since last
year. "I saw signs last year that the North was preparing ransomware attacks or
even already beginning to do so, targeting some South Korean companies," he
told Agence France-Presse. He cited a major attack last year that stole the data
of over 10 million users of Interpark, a Seoul-based online shopping site, in which
hackers demanded Bitcoin payments worth about $3 million. Seoul police blamed
the North's main intelligence agency for the attack. More attacks were possible,
Choi said, "especially given that, unlike missile or nuclear tests, they can deny
their involvement in attacks in cyberspace and get away with it.”

Security researchers in the US, Russia and Israel have also reported signs of a
potential North Korean link to the latest cyber attack, although there is no
conclusive evidence yet. Google researcher Neel Mehta posted details showing
similarities between the "WannaCry" malware and the computer code used by
the Lazarus hacking group, widely believed to be connected to Pyongyang.

The isolated, nuclear-armed state is known to operate an army of thousands of

hackers operating in both the North, and apparently China, and has been blamed
for a number of major cyber attacks. In November 2014, Sony Pictures
Entertainment became the target of the biggest cyber attack in US corporate
history, linked to its release of North Korea satire "The Interview," hated by
Pyongyang. Washington blamed Pyongyang for the hacking, a claim it denied –
though it had strongly condemned the film, which features a fictional CIA plot to
assassinate leader Kim Jong-Un.

North Korea appears to have stepped up cyber attacks in recent years in a bid to
earn hard foreign currency in the face of United Nations sanctions imposed over
its nuclear and missile programs, Choi added. He claimed to have last year
tracked down an elite North Korean hacker who boasted online that the country
was conducting tests for ransomware attacks. On an online messenger system,
Choi told Agence France-Presse, "He said he and his colleagues were running
tests for ransomware attacks." The hacker was believed to be from the North's
elite Kim Chaek University of Technology in Pyongyang and suspected of
launching multiple cyber-attacks on North Korean defector organizations in
Seoul, Choi said. His IP address and other digital traces pointed to the North, he
stressed.

So far 11 South Korean companies have been affected by WannaCry, Seoul's

Yonhap news agency said, citing data from the state-run Korea Internet and
Security Agency. "When the leak was published, I thought the North would never
miss a chance like this," Lim Jong-In, a professor of Korea University Graduate
School of Information Security, told Agence France-Presse. "I'm afraid that there
may be more attacks down the road using the rest of the tools leaked in April," he
said. (Rappler/Agence France-Presse)

TENSION ON THE KOREAN PENINSULA

North Korea missile program progressing faster

than expected, says South Korea
North Korea's missile program is progressing faster than expected, a South
Korean minister said on Tuesday, hours after the UN Security Council demanded
the North to halt all nuclear and ballistic missile tests and condemned Sunday's
test-launch. The reclusive North, which has defied all calls to rein in its weapons
programs, even from its lone major ally, China, has been working on a missile,
mounted with a nuclear warhead, capable of striking the US mainland.

US President Donald Trump's administration has called for an immediate halt to

Pyongyang's provocations and has warned that the "era of strategic patience"
with North Korea under previous presidents is at an end.
South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo told parliament Sunday's test-
launch was "successful in flight." "It is considered an IRBM (intermediate range
ballistic missile) of enhanced caliber compared to Musudan missiles that have
continually failed," he said, referring to a class of missile designed to travel up to
3,000 to 4,000 kilometers (1,860 to 2,485 miles). Asked if North Korea's missile
program was developing faster than the South had expected, he said: "Yes."

The North's KCNA news agency said Sunday's launch tested its capability to
carry a "large-size heavy nuclear warhead." Its ambassador to China said in
Beijing on Monday it would continue such test launches "any time, any place."
The missile flew 787 kilometers (489 miles) on a trajectory reaching an altitude of
2,111.5 kilometers (1,312 miles), KCNA said. Pyongyang has regularly
threatened to destroy the United States, which it accuses of pushing the Korean
peninsula to the brink of nuclear war by conducting recent military drills with
South Korea and Japan.

Trump and new South Korean President Moon Jae-in will meet in Washington
next month, with North Korea expected to be high on the agenda, South Korean
media said. Moon's top foreign policy adviser, Chung Eui-yong, and Matt
Pottinger, overseeing Asian affairs at the US National Security Council, met in
Seoul on Tuesday in the first direct contact between the two administrations
since Moon's inauguration last week.

In a unanimously agreed statement, the 15-member UN Security Council said it

was of vital importance that North Korea show "sincere commitment to
denuclearization through concrete action and stressed the importance of working
to reduce tensions." "To that end, the Security Council demanded the Democratic
People's Republic of Korea conduct no further nuclear and ballistic missile tests,"
the council said, adding that it was ready to impose further sanctions on the
country.

The statement also condemned an April 28 ballistic missile launch by

Pyongyang. Following that launch, Washington began talks with China on
possible new UN sanctions. Traditionally, the United States and China have
negotiated new measures before involving remaining council members.

The Security Council first imposed sanctions on North Korea in 2006 and has
strengthened the measures in response to its five nuclear tests and two long-
range rocket launches. Pyongyang is threatening a sixth nuclear test. Trump
warned in an interview with Reuters this month that a "major, major conflict" with
North Korea was possible. In a show of force, the United States sent an aircraft
carrier strike group, led by the USS Carl Vinson, to waters off the Korean
peninsula to conduct drills with South Korea and Japan.

Admiral Harry Harris, the top US commander in the Asia-Pacific, said on

Tuesday continued missile launches by North Korea showed the importance of
the alliance between Japan and the United States. "The actions of North Korea
are unacceptable," Harris said at the start of a meeting with Japanese Foreign
Minister Fumio Kishida. "It underscores not only the importance of the US-Japan
alliance, but also US-Japan-South Korea trilateral cooperation." Harris was to
meet Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Defense Minister Tomomi Inada
later in the day.

The US Seventh Fleet carrier, the USS Ronald Reagan, left Yokosuka in Japan
on Tuesday on its regular spring patrol and will be out for around three to four
months, according to a Seventh Fleet spokesman. The spokesman declined to
say where it was bound and added he was not aware how long the Carl Vinson
would remain in the region. (Reuters)

GLOBAL BALANCE OF POWER

US Navy ‘must grow’ to compete with China, Russia

The US Navy needs to expand its fleet and maritime capability to remain
competitive as other nations -- such as China and Russia -- seek to strengthen
their naval power, US head of naval operations Admiral John Richardson said on
Tuesday. “We are getting back into, after decades really, an era of maritime
competition,” Richardson said, adding that moves by China to match its
economic clout with military sway should not be seen as alarming. “At some point
you turn to the sea to expand and continue to prosper,” he said at the Changi
naval base in Singapore.

US President Donald Trump is set to release his fiscal 2018 budget next week.
He has pledged previously to expand the navy’s fleet to 350 vessels from 272
now.

“If you look at just the geography, wherever we are engaged today, where we are
involved today, you can see that there is a size part of that,” Richardson said. “To
provide credible options, to provide partnering opportunities, you need to be
there. Numbers are a part of that solution.” Richardson’s comments came ahead
of the release of a US Navy white paper on Wednesday.
The US Navy has sent the Carl Vinson carrier group to North Asia, where it has
conducted exercises with Japan and other countries at a time of heightened
tensions with North Korea. Meanwhile, China last month launched its first
domestically built aircraft carrier, amid worries about Beijing’s assertiveness in
the South China Sea and its broader military modernization program. Beijing’s
claims to the South China Sea, through which about US$5 trillion in sea-borne
trade passes every year, are disputed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines,
Vietnam and Taiwan.

“We need to be building a navy that is not only larger – all of the studies that
have taken place over the past year or so pretty much agree with that – but it’s
also got to be better,” Richardson said. “It’s not just about numbers, platforms, it’s
also about what those platforms can do and then again how they all work
together.”

Richardson defended the Littoral Combat Ship program, after two defense
secretaries under former US President Barack Obama questioned whether the
light ship intended for shallow coastal waters could survive in combat, and then
cut back the numbers planned. Trump has created unease among some allies
and smaller states in Asia over whether he will continue Obama’s military
rebalancing to the region, which included beefing up the US naval presence in
the disputed South China Sea. At the same time, China is ramping up spending
on its military and recently launched its second aircraft carrier.

US Defense Department spokesman Jeff Davis said on Monday that US

“freedom of navigation operations” – naval patrols that enter territorial waters
claimed by other countries, but which the US says are international waters –
were not just about China. He said that during the last fiscal year, the US
conducted such naval patrols in the waters near 22 different countries all over the
world. “Many of those countries are friends and allies,” he said. “It’s not about
one country, it’s not about one body of water.”

According to the Pentagon’s “2016 freedom of navigation report” from February,

the patrols occurred near Asian countries including Japan, South Korea and
Vietnam, as well as ones outside the region like Venezuela, Albania and
Maldives. “Unfortunately, the public narrative has made it about China and the
South China Sea. It’s not that,” Davis said. “It’s about certain international rights
to navigate in waters that international law accepts.” Davis said the US “will
continue to do” freedom of navigation patrols in the South China Sea, but would
not say when. Bonnie Glaser, an Asia-Pacific security analyst at the Center for
Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said she expected the US to
conduct another such patrol soon. (South China Morning Post)
ADVISORY TO MOTORISTS

Motorists texting while driving to be apprehended,

fined starting Thursday, May 18
Motorists who are texting, receiving or making a call using their mobile phones
and playing mobile games will be apprehended and fined as law enforcers start
to enforce the Anti-Distracted Driving Act on May 18, Thursday. Section 4 of
Republic Act 10913 defines distracted driving as “…when a motorist is using
his/her mobile phone or gadgets while the vehicle is moving or temporarily
stopped at a red light.” The law covers private and public vehicles and even
those with diplomatic plates.

Other acts of distracted driving under the new law include:

 Using mobile communications device to write, send, or read text-based

communications or to make or receive calls and other similar acts
 Using an electronic entertainment or computing device to play games, watch
movies, surf the internet, compose messages, read e-books, perform
calculations, and other similar act

The Anti-Distracted Driving Act, which was passed into law on July 21, 2016, will
take effect on May 18 after its implementing rules and regulations were published
in newspapers last May 3.

The law, meanwhile, says motorists are still allowed to use mobile devices
provided that it is done hands-free. Under Section 5 of RA 10913, "the operation
of a mobile communications device is not considered to be distracted driving if
done using the aid of hands-free function or similar device such as but not limited
to, a speaker phone, earphones, and microphones or other similar devices which
allow a person to make and receive calls without having to hold communications
device; provided that the placement of the mobile communication device or
hands-free device does not interfere with the line of sight of the driver.”

Exempted from the coverage of the new law are motorists using mobile phones
for making emergency calls to a law enforcement agency, health care provider,
fire department or other emergency services, agencies or entities. Also exempted
are motorists using mobile phones while operating an emergency vehicle such as
an ambulance, a fire truck, and other vehicles providing emergency assistance,
in the course and scope of his or her duties.
Motorists caught in violation of the new law shall be fined:

 P5,000 for the first offense

 P10,000 for the second offense
 P15,000 and suspension of driver’s license for three months for the third
offense
 P20,000 fine and revocation of driver’s license for the fourth offense

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), the Philippine National

Police (PNP) and other concerned government agencies are mandated to
enforce the law, while the Land Transportation Office (LTO) shall assist in its
effective implementation. (GMA News)

WEATHER FORECAST

Partly cloudy with isolated rains on Wednesday

Partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms mostly
in the afternoon or evening will prevail over Metro Manila and the rest of country.
Light to moderate winds blowing from the east to southeast will prevail over the
country and coastal waters throughout the archipelago will be slight to moderate.
(PAGASA Weather Division)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In case of any security emergency, call the Independent Insight Hotline:
(02) 706-0892 or (0932) 864-3150
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Published Monday-Wednesday-Friday by Independent Insight, Inc.
Unit 1503-B West Tower, PSE Centre, Exchange Road, Ortigas Center, Pasig City
Email address: independentinsightinc@gmail.com

Disclaimer – Today’s Security News is a compilation of security-related news items gathered from open media sources. Its sole purpose is to provide clients
with relevant information on matters that pertain to national security and other pertinent issues. Independent Insight, Inc. thus disclaims any liability that may
arise out of certain news items contained herein.