MANILA — Senator Robin Padilla is pushing for online access in Shariah courts, emphasizing the need to address the 15-year-old challenge faced by Muslim Filipinos in submitting documents to these courts.

“Dahil po dito, bahagi ng panukang susog sa R.A. No. 9997 ay ang pagbuo ng digital platform upang mapayagan ang paperless filing ng mga dokumento sa Shariah Courts tulad ng marriage certificate, birth certificate, death certificate, pleadings, at iba pang court submissions. Sa hakbang na ito, magiging kaakibat po natin ang Department of Information and Communications Technology o DICT,” Padilla said.

“Naniniwala po akong isang mabisang hakbang ang panukalang ito upang maisabay sa modernisasyon ng mga proseso at operasyon ng Korte.”

The senator made these remarks during his sponsorship speech for Committee Report 237 for Senate Bill 2613.

He also pointed out the current lack of resources and limited access for Muslim Filipinos in filing and submitting documents to Shariah Courts.

ia/mnm

By Liza Soriano

MANILA — Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri on Thursday said that the perpetrators involved in the fatal hazing of a 25-year-old criminology student must be placed behind bars for the rest of their lives.

Ahldryn Leary Bravante, a criminology student at the Philippine College of Criminology in Manila has died allegedly due to brutal hazing or initiation rites.

He said the latest incident of fraternity violence was appalling as it happened barely eight months after 22-year-old John Matthew Salilig met his tragic death during the welcoming rites of the Tau Gamma Phi fraternity.

At least 12 members of the same fraternity were said to be behind Bravante’s death, including four who were already in police custody.

“This senseless death of another young student due to barbaric fraternity tradition is not only enraging but frustrating as well as it happened despite our efforts to put more teeth to the law against fraternity hazing,” Zubiri said.

The full force of the law must come down on those soulless people who killed the same person they claim to be their brother, the senator said.

“We should put an end to these acts of savagery. Let’s ensure that those who mock our system of justice would be made to account for their misdeeds,” he added.

(ai/mnm)

Image Courtesy of Benjamin Cuaresma

MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. clarified his stance on Saturday, September 23, 2023, asserting that there are no intentions to implement a nationwide fishing ban to address the dwindling fish population in the country.

President Marcos emphasized that he is only contemplating the imposition of fishing bans in specific areas, particularly those identified as breeding grounds for marine life.

Furthermore, he highlighted the urgent need for the government to establish additional cold storage facilities to prevent fish spoilage and promote the development of processing plants as part of their ongoing initiatives.

Nazario Briguera, spokesperson for the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), underscored that local governments possess the authority to enact fishing bans.

Meanwhile, the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA) fishers’ group voiced concerns that government conservation efforts and fishing restrictions disproportionately impact small-scale fishers dependent on fishing for their livelihoods. They called on the Marcos administration to prioritize the termination of coastal area conversions and reclamations rather than implementing fishing bans.

In accompanying photographs, fishermen at the Bulungan fish port in Paranaque can be seen sorting their catch early in the morning.

(By Benjamin Cuaresma/ai/mnm)