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Sorry not enough, Palace also probing if Xiamen Air should pay damages (philstar.com) - August 20, 2018 - 6:43pm MANILA, Philippines — An apology by Xiamen Airlines is not enough, Malacañang said Monday, as it vowed to investigate whether the pilot of the plane that overshot the runway at Ninoy Aquino International Airport last week has liabilities.  "It's not just an apology that we will ask for. We're now conducting an investigation if there's any liability on the part of the Xiamen pilot, that's why he has been asked not to leave the country. That's part of an ongoing investigation," presidential spokesman Harry Roque said in a press briefing.  Roque said investigators would look into all sorts of liability including those that could result in the payment of damages.  "It can’t be any different from the laws on tort and it can’t be any different from our criminal laws on reckless … [Read more...] about Sorry not enough, Palace also probing if Xiamen Air should pay damages

Robredo slams arrest of lawyers in controversial Makati bar raid Kristine Joy Patag (philstar.com) - August 20, 2018 - 7:27pm MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo on Monday raised alarm on the arrest of three lawyers who were monitoring the cops’ search operation in a bar in Makati. Robredo, in a statement, said the arrest of lawyers Lenie Rocha, Jan Vincent Soliven and Romulo Bernard Alarcon is a case that concerns not just the legal community but every Filipino. “The [Philippine National Police’s] contention that the accountability of law enforcers to rules and proper procedure cannot be raised in the course of police operations, but only in legal proceedings arising after the fact, is a dangerous mindset that dramatically increases the likelihood of abuse and the assurance of impunity,” the vice president said. Makati cops detained the three lawyers on Thursday afternoon … [Read more...] about Robredo slams arrest of lawyers in controversial Makati bar raid

NAIA runway mishap signals need to develop other airports — senators Gaea Katreena Cabico (philstar.com) - August 20, 2018 - 7:12pm MANILA, Philippines — The recent runway mishap at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport shows the need to decongest the country’s main gateway and develop other air transport hubs. Lawmakers stressed this point days after a Xiamen Airlines aircraft skidded off NAIA’s main runway late Thursday. The incident led to flight cancellations and delays, which affected thousands of passengers. In a statement, Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III stressed the demand to have at least two main air hubs, similar to the Haneda and Narita airports in Japan. “We require two airports as our main international gateways. NAIA can serve South Metro Manila and Southern Luzon to Bicol, and Clark can address the needs of passengers from North Metro Manila and Northern … [Read more...] about NAIA runway mishap signals need to develop other airports — senators

Sorry not enough, Palace also investigating if Xiamen should pay damages (philstar.com) - August 20, 2018 - 6:43pm MANILA, Philippines — An apology by Xiamen Airlines is not enough, Malacañang said Monday, as it vowed to investigate whether the pilot of the plane that overshot the runway at Ninoy Aquino International Airport last week has liabilities.  "It's not just an apology that we will ask for. We're now conducting an investigation if there's any liability on the part of the Xiamen pilot, that's why he has been asked not to leave the country. That's part of an ongoing investigation," presidential spokesman Harry Roque said in a press briefing.  Roque said investigators would look into all sorts of liability including those that could result in the payment of damages.  "It can’t be any different from the laws on tort and it can’t be any different from our criminal laws on reckless … [Read more...] about Sorry not enough, Palace also investigating if Xiamen should pay damages

Roque says arrested Makati bar lawyers need 'refresher course' (philstar.com) - August 20, 2018 - 5:55pm MANILA, Philippines — The three lawyers arrested by the Makati police for alleged obstruction of justice need to have a "refresher course" on what they can and cannot do, Malacañang said Monday.  While some critics claimed the arrest was a violation of human rights, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the action was justified because lawyers have "absolutely no involvement" in an ongoing police investigation. "As a law professor, I can assure you, in any police investigation, you can only observe, but certainly, you cannot interfere in an ongoing police investigation. Even on freedom of information, that is one of the recognized exceptions, if there is an ongoing police investigation, the public don’t even have the right to information to find out what’s ongoing," Roque said in a press … [Read more...] about Roque says arrested Makati bar lawyers need ‘refresher course’