Two Manila policemen were arrested Thursday morning for allegedly extorting P50,000 from four individuals whom they arrested on suspicion of human trafficking. Members of the Philippine National Police-Counter Intelligence Task Force (PNP-CITF) raided the Manila Police District (MPD) Special Operations Unit and arrested Police Officer 1 (PO1) MJ Cerilla and PO1 Erdie Bautista based on the complaint filed by one of the relatives of those arrested. The cops were immediately handcuffed by members of the PNP-CITF along with the “striker” which they believed was part of their operations. MPD Director Rolando Anduyan said he ordered the CITF to immediately conduct the raid after one of the relatives complained to the police. At first, they reportedly asked for P100,000 but later reduced the demand to P50,000. The “payoff” was made and Bautista took the marked money. The four other members of the MPD District Operations Unit are also being investigated. Meanwhile, the chief of police of the unit was relieved. He claimed that the operation was legal and they have complete documents.

A one-stop shop catering to the needs of poor Filipinos in need of financial assistance for medical purposes was launched by the Department of Health (DoH) at its Malasakit Center at the Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center in Manila. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said a joint administrative order for the project was signed Friday by the DoH, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office and Philippine Health Insurance Corporation. Duque said the Malasakit Center will enable patients to avail of government services under one roof so they can get the financial assistance they need in the shortest possible time and with the least hassle. He cited as example a patient who cannot pay the hospital bill beyond what Philhealth offers, as in the case of cancer or renal disease needing a kidney transplant. The patient’s family can ask for financial assistance from PCSO or DoH through its Medical Assistance to Indigent Patients Program. Duque said similar Malasakit Centers will be put in place in other DoH-retained hospitals in Metro Manila. Among the hospitals being eyed to have Malasakit Centers are East Avenue Medical Center and Rizal Medical Center, Duque said. Duque said having a Malasakit Center will prevent the duplication of financial assistance to the same beneficiary.

A cause-oriented organization urged yesterday the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to ensure that government projects under the P2.5 billion “Green, Green, Green” program only use paints with no added lead, a toxic chemical. Through a letter sent yesterday to DBM Secretary Benjamin Diokno, the EcoWaste Coalition welcomed the government program to make the country’s 145 cities “more livable, sustainable, and well connected through the development or enhancement of public open spaces.” According to the group, the “Green, Green, Green” program fits well with UN’s Sustainable Development Goals on “Sustainable Cities and Communities.” It also corresponds with one of their goal targets to provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities. “As some of the projects being proposed for funding under this program may include painting or repainting jobs, we strongly suggest that the mandatory procurement and use of lead-safe paints as verified through third-party certification be included in the evaluation and approval of project proposals received from applicant cities,” said Eileen Sison, President of EcoWaste Coalition. “The use of lead-safe paints should be duly included by the DBM in the criteria for truly ‘green’ open space development or enhancement projects by our cities,” she added. Specifying the compulsory procurement and use of certified lead-safe paints will ensure that only paints with no added lead will be used to decorate fences and gates, playground equipment, tables, chairs and benches, recreational facilities, signages, structures, particularly in parks and plazas where children often go for rest and leisure, the group said. The group said that such a requirement will be in sync with DENR A.O. 2013-24 phasing out lead-added paints used for architectural, household and decorative applications on 31 December 2016. It will also be in line with DILG Memorandum Circular 2018-26 enjoining local government units (LGUs) to “support the phase-out of lead-containing paints and eventually reduce the hazards and risks posed by such paints to human health.”

Two suspected drug pushers were killed while four others were arrested, including an alleged son of a former action star, in separate police operations in Pasig and Antipolo cities. The Antipolo police said the suspected drug pushers were killed in a buy-bust operation at Barangay San Jose early morning yesterday. As of press time, the police have yet to identify the suspects because they are not carrying any ID. Recovered were 10 grams of suspected shabu with a street value of P50,000 and two caliber .38 guns. The police said the suspects were last seen during a drug raid in Cainta, Rizal in May but they managed to elude arrest. In Pasig, the police arrested Jose Ma. Lapid, alias Joey, believed to be the son of former action star Jess Lapid Jr. Joey was also apprehended in a buy-bust operation along Barangay Sta. Lucia, Pasig City Monday evening together with three other cohorts, identified as Franklin Ramos, Zackaria Bansil and Xavier Allan Raymundo. Police seized close to two kilos of suspected marijuana amounting to P80,000 from the suspects. According to Pasig City police chief Senior Supt. Rizalito Gapas, they received a tip from concerned citizens about the alleged illegal activities of the suspects. “This operation is a result of improved relationships with the community that we are developing. Concerned citizens are now informing us of illegal drug activities,” he said. Gapaz added he placed the suspects under surveillance before planning the operation. In an interview, Joey denied involvement in the drug trade. “I was just asked to deliver them,” Lapid said referring to the recovered drugs. The suspects are facing charges of violating Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.