Vice President Sara Duterte calls her appointment as co-vice chair of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict a 'show of force.' Rights advocates worry she'll use her new powers—and funds—to ramp up attacks against dissenters. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Hi Edward, Here are the most important news that you need to know.       Sara’s new ‘anti-Red’ role draws cheers, jeers, fears Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte has been given a third hat to wear, this time as a vice chair of the anti-insurgency task force, cementing her stature as the most powerful woman in government while stirring disquiet among her critics.   Calls mount for probe of DA fertilizer plan Opposition Sen. Risa Hontiveros and Pangasinan Rep. Mark Cojuangco have urged Congress to investigate the plan of the Department of Agriculture (DA) to buy P2.5 billion worth of biofertilizers to ensure that it would not end up being another scam, referring to the Senate findings in 2009 on the diversion of P728 million in fertilizer funds to the 2004 presidential bid of now Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.   Inquirer Plus offers FREE 30 day trial STATECRAFT’S A BREEZE HERE From a “pinisi” boat, Southeast Asian leaders enjoy a sunset view on the sidelines of the Asean Summit in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia, on May 10. Clockwise from bottom: Timor-Leste Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak and daughter Tamarisa Vasconcelos, Thailand Deputy Prime Minister Don Pramudwinai, Laos Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone and wife Vandala Siphandone, Brunei Prince Abdul Mateen, Brunei Darussalam Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Vietnam Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen, Indonesia President Joko Widodo and wife, Iriana, Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, President Marcos and first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and wife Ho Ching.  —AFP   RATE NOW   ‘Comfort women’ receive DSWD aid The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has reached out to help World War II sexual slavery victims in Pampanga, two months after a United Nations report cited the government’s failure to serve them justice.   OPINION: The Philippines as cyber scam hub Sadly, as the Clark raid also shows, the Philippines has become a host for cyber scam hubs, Hontiveros said, noting how other Southeast Asian nationals have been lured into the country with honeyed promises from traffickers.     Hi Edward, We'd like to know what you think of this newsletter. Send us your feedback by leaving a message in our suggestion box. SAY HI     © 2023 PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you are subscribed to Inquirer Newsletters. Flat icon Unsubscribe