MANILA: The Bankers Association of the Philippines (BAP) welcomed the Supreme Court decision to stop the Commission on Elections (Comelec) from implementing its controversial “cash ban.”
The BAP, which filed the petition against the cash ban, said any policy to be implemented in the future should consider the impact on business.
“We welcome the order of the Supreme Court in protecting the rights of our depositors to their funds,” BAP president Lorenzo Tan said.
“The banking industry would like to help in ensuring free and honest elections in the future.
“Whatever policy we come up with must consider the impact on normal course of banking business and the rights of our customers.
“The banking industry needs time to prepare for whatever measures Comelec and BSP imposes on the industry in the future,” Tan said.
Explosives claim denied
BACOLOD CITY: An operative of the Negros Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) unit turned the tables against his colleagues and immediate superiors by disputing their claims that explosives were found at the ancestral house of Mayor Magdaleno Pena in Brgy Ubay, Pulupandan, Negros Occidental.
In a sworn affidavit, SPO1 Rosendo Bersal, a member of the Bacolod-based CIDG office said he never saw the alleged two pieces of TNT high explosives at the guards’ quarters of the ancestral house when Bersal and other operatives raided the house on May 2. Copies of Bersal’s affidavit were distributed by Pena during a press conference on Thursday. Bersal said in his affidavit: “I was even surprised when I was informed regarding the alleged recovery of said explosives after lunch of May 2.”
Poll areas to undergo audit
MANILA: The Commission on Elections has selected a list of cities and municipalities that will undergo random manual audit on Election Day.
Using a new computer program, the selection was done in seconds compared to 2010 when it took eight hours for election officials to choose the cities.
Meanwhile, the specific precincts that will be manually audited by Comelec will only be generated on Sunday at the PICC Comelec Command Center using the same computer programme.
Marine hurt in encounter
DAVAO CITY: A member of the Philippine Marines was wounded in an encounter with fighters of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Gingoog City on Thursday.
Major Leo Bongosia, spokesman of the military’s 4th Infantry Division, said government troops were conducting route security operations in Barangay Samay to clear the path for the board of election inspectors (BEI), who were set to deliver precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines.
They clashed with communist fighters at around 11am, according to Bongosia. “It is possible that the rebels are preparing to stage an ambush,” he said. The wounded marine was brought to the nearest hospital, Bongosia said.
No casualties were reported on the NPA side.
Agencies
