Duterte admits idea to have Sara succeed him a 'joke'

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte last week told reporters that no better candidate could succeed him but his daughter, but on Friday he dismissed the controversial remark as another one of his jokes.

Duterte cited an unnamed group, which he said wanted someone like him to assume presidency.

"They're talking about me, for somebody like me to replace when I'm... so binira ko. Sabi ko gusto ninyong, pero babae to, pero manipa to, manuntok to, manampal, gusto ninyong ganoon ang presidente? Si Inday," Duterte told Erwin Tulfo on public television network PTV. (I told them, there's a woman, but she would kick, punch and slap others, whom you might like to become president? That would be Inday.)

Duterte's daughter Sara, whom he calls Inday, is the mayor of Davao City and among those who urged him to run for president.

In this Sept. 18, 2017 photo, President Rodrigo Duterte spares time for his grandson to Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, Marko Digong on the sidelines of the 6th Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Accredited National Convention of Public Attorneys opening ceremony at the Tent City in Manila Hotel, Manila. PPD/Richard Madelo

© Philstar.com In this Sept. 18, 2017 photo, President Rodrigo Duterte spares time for his grandson to Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, Marko Digong on the sidelines of the 6th Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Accredited National Convention of Public Attorneys opening ceremony at the Tent City in Manila Hotel, Manila. PPD/Richard Madelo

Duterte claimed Sara shuns politics, but had no choice but to take his place to run the city. Duterte first filed for candidacy for another term as Davao mayor in 2015 before the 2016 elections, but made a seemingly last-minute decision to run for president.

Sara instead ran for Davao mayor. Duterte, meanwhile said Sara, who won the mayoral post on a landslide, wanted to quit politics over the past year.

But he stopped her. "Anak nang... e 'di napabalik, lipad na naman ako doon, 'Anak 'wag mo namang gawin 'yan, mapahiya tayo sa tao." (Son of a... so I flew to Davao and told her, 'Don't do that, it would be embarrassing.')

The president is known for making off-color remarks and controversial pronouncements that would later on be dismissed as a joke or taken out of context by his spokespersons.

Duterte's banner campaign since becoming president last year was a brutal war on drugs that has so far killed thousands of drug suspects in police operations. Thousands more were killed by unknown gunmen in unexplained incidents. — Camille Diola

Cimatu warns miners: Don’t befoul watersheds, forests, aquatic resources

© Provided by Mediamerge Corporation Newly-appointed Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy Cimatu poses for a photo before being sworn into office by President Rodrigo Duterte ahead of the 15th Cabinet meeting in Malacañang on Monday, May 7, 2017. Robinson Niñal/PPD Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu on Tuesday warned mining firms to observe responsible mining and avoid destructive practices or face sanctions His pronouncement came in response to President Rodrigo Duterte's second State of the Nation Address, in which the chief executive emphasized mining's impact on the environment. "I know for a fact that in a number of cases, weak and irresponsible mining practices result [in] environmental destruction—contaminating farmlands and poisoning our rivers and seas," Cimatu said in a statement. "Miners better refrain from despoiling our watersheds, forests and aquatic resources," he added. Cimatu said the Department of Environment and Natural Res...

You can pay at a restaurant by smiling at a camera

© Provided by Engadget As easy as it is to make purchases in the era of tap-to-pay services , it's about to get easier still. Alipay (which handles purchases for Chinese shopping giant Alibaba) has launched what it says is the first payment system that uses facial recognition to complete the sale. If you visit one of KFC's KPRO restaurants in Hangzhou, China, you can pay for your panini or salad by smiling at a camera-equipped kiosk -- you need to verify the purchase on your phone, but you don't have to punch in digits or bring your phone up to an NFC reader. The system (Smile to Pay) is purportedly resistant to spoofing with photos and other tricks. It relies on both depth-sensing cameras and a "likeness detection algorithm" to make sure it's really you. Reportedly, the technology is good enough that it can accurately identify people even when they're disguising themselves through makeup or wigs. You shouldn't have to worry about someone buying ...

DOF opposes tiered approach to tax on sugary drinks

© Provided by Mediamerge Corporation MONEY- Tax thumbnail The Department of Finance (DOF) is not amenable to Senator Juan Edgardo Angara's suggestion to implement the proposed levy on sugar sweetened beverages via a three-tier system. "We oppose the tiered approach. Meaning 'yung first seven grams will be tax free and then after that would be taxable," Finance Undersecretary Karl Chua said during the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines (EJAP) Economic Forum in Manila on Friday. Chua note the tiered approach may compel manufacturers to come up with smaller packaging. "So you can drink three of them with no taxes," the Finance official said. It will defeat the purpose of imposing excise tax on sugary drinks as a health measure, he added. During deliberations on the comprehensive tax reform bill, Angara floated the idea of implementing the excise tax on sugar sweetened beverages under a three-tier system to incentivize those who manufactu...

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